Zurich Classic: Blixt-Smith secure play-off victory

Final leaderboard

-27  Blixt/Smith; Kisner/Brown (Blixt/Smith won at the fourth play-off hole)

-23 Kraft/Tway

 -22 Spieth/Palmer

Full collated scores to follow

Day five: Play-off report

Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans title after a play-off with Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown.

Blixt and Smith looked to have the first official team event on the PGA Tour in 36 years sewn up on Sunday, before a remarkable finish saw the long-time leaders caught at the last.

Kisner had stunned his opponents by chipping in for an eagle from 95 feet to force extra holes, although darkness at TPC Louisiana meant they had to return on Monday to play them.

Playing fourballs, the quartet all parred the first two attempts at sudden-death down the 18th.

The play-off reverted to the ninth, where Sweden's Blixt pitched to five feet only to then fluff his putt for the win.

However, on the third trip down the 18th, Australian Smith knocked his approach to two feet and birdied to seal his first PGA Tour title and Blixt's third.

Smith and Blixt had sat atop the leaderboard after both the second and third rounds, and boasted a four-shot lead coming into Sunday's fourballs.

Their impressive final round of 64 included eight birdies, but it was not enough to see off the challenge of American duo Kisner and Brown, who finished with a 12-under-par 60.

Day four report

Kevin Kisner and team-mate Scott Brown will face Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith in a play-off for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans title on Monday following a remarkable finish on Sunday evening.

Long-time leaders Blixt and Smith had looked set to win the two-man competition - the first official team event on the PGA Tour in 36 years - after finding themselves in a seemingly invincible position on the par-five 18th.

However, Kisner stunned their opponents by chipping in for an eagle from 95 feet to leave Smith needing to hole his short birdie putt to avoid defeat.

With darkness closing in at TPC Louisiana following delays of more than six hours because of thunderstorms, the 23-year-old Australian coolly drained his putt to leave both teams on 27 under par for the tournament and set up a play-off on Monday.

Smith and his Swedish team-mate Blixt sat atop the leaderboard after both the second and third rounds, and boasted a four-shot lead coming until Sunday's fourballs.

Their impressive final round of 64 included eight birdies, but it was not enough to hold off the challenge of American duo Kisner and Brown, who finished with a 12-under-par 60.

They picked up shots on 10 of the opening 11 holes in a blistering start before Kisner's late heroics kept them in contention for the title.

Kisner said of his briskly-hit shot which brought the eagle: "We knew we had to have it. All I was trying to do was make sure I didn't leave it short. I couldn't see much. I knew it was breaking a little right, and when it hit the flag I said, 'Don't you come out of there.'"

Blixt said on www.pgatour.com: "You have to expect the unexpected.

"We have another shot at it tomorrow, and we just have to leave this behind and try to go out there and make birdie or eagle on 18 tomorrow and try and win this tournament."

Day three report

 Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith remained on track to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after extending their lead on day three at TPC Louisiana.

The duo, having started the weekend with a one-shot lead, will now go into the final day four shots clear of the chasing pack after recording a four-under-par 68 in Saturday's foursomes.

Sweden's Blixt and Smith of Australia did not have a single bogey on their card for the third successive day while picking up shots on the second, third, 15th and 18th holes as they moved to 19 under for the tournament.

Blixt said on www.pgatour.com: "It doesn't matter how many bogeys you make as long as you are in the lead. We're very happy with the way we played."

Smith added: "Tomorrow should be good fun, hopefully it doesn't rain and it's a good day."

American pairings Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown, plus Charley Hoffman and Nick Watney, are in joint second place on 15 under heading into the last-day fourballs.

A shot further back in the two-man competition - the first official team event on the PGA Tour in 36 years - are world number five Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer.

Day two report

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson were among the big-name casualties at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after missing the cut - despite finishing the second round on six under par.

Having been six shots off the leaders after a level-par 72 in Thursday's opening day foursomes, the Ryder Cup team-mates were battling to stay in the two-man competition during Friday's fourballs.

They signed off for a creditable six-under-par 66, but on a day of low scoring that was not enough to get them into the weekend as the cut was made at seven under.

England's Rose and Stenson of Sweden needed a birdie on the final hole to avoid an early exit but the two major winners both found the water.

Rose said of their failures on the last: "Actually summed up the week... Disappointing."

Stenson added on www.pgatour.com: "You want to be in the hole with two chances as much as possible. At times we didn't live up to that. We left each other hanging on a few occasions."

They were not the only stars to miss out, though, with the pairing of Jason Day and Rickie Fowler also heading home early as the tournament lost four of the world's top 10 ranked players.

"If it was a normal event, we would've (each) made the cut," Fowler said

"Not saying it would've been impressive by any means. We wouldn't exactly have been in contention. It was just that we couldn't get the both of us going. It wasn't like we played bad golf. We just didn't make enough birdies."

At the top of the leaderboard, Sweden's Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith of Australia boast a one-shot lead at the midway point of the competition - the first official team event on the PGA Tour since 1981.

The duo combined to shoot a 10-under-par round of 62 in the fourballs - both Blixt and Smith had an eagle and three birdies each - and leave them on 15 under.

American pair Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay are in second spot on 14 under after also carding a 62.

Joint-overnight leaders - Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer, and Kyle Stanley and 18-year-old Ryan Ruffels - are among six teams on 12 under after both recorded 66s for the second successive day.

English duo Ian Poulter and Andrew Johnston, paired with Geoff Ogilvy and Kyle Reifers respectively, also made the cut as the 80-team field was reduced to 42.

The tournament returns to foursomes for the third round before finishing with fourballs.

Day one report

Jordan Spieth birdied the final hole to give him and teammate Ryan Palmer a share of the lead at the new-look Zurich Classic of New Orleans. 

The pair posted a bogey-free 66 in the alternate shot format at TPC Louisiana to match the early target set by Kyle Stanley and Ryan Ruffels.

Charley Hoffman and Nick Watney eagled the 18th to move into a four-way tie for third on five under, with Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay a further shot back.

Palmer and Spieth made a steady start with a two-putt birdie at the second and a six-foot gain at the seventh, before holing a putt from a similar distance at the par-five 11th.

Spieth chipped in from the 14th fairway for a birdie and Palmer saved par from 12 feet at the next, with the pair picking up another shot at the 16th and rolling in a 15-footer at the last.

Earlier in the day, Stanley and Ruffels birdied their opening four holes and briefly went two clear of the chasing back with four gains in a six-hole stretch after the turn.

Stanley then missed the green with his tee shot into the par-five ninth - their final hole - to post a closing bogey.

Reed and Cantlay had threatened the outright lead with five birdies in seven holes on their second nine, only to bogey their final hole after failing to get up-and-down from the bunker.

Ian Poulter, who lost his full PGA Tour playing rights last week, and Geoff Ogilvy sit in the group on three under that also includes Brooks Koepka and younger brother Chase.

Top seed Jason Day and playing partner Rickie Fowler opened with a one-under 71, while Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose lie six strokes off the pace.

Final round collated scores

261 Blixt/Smith (Swe) 67 62 68 64 (won at the fourth play-off hole), Kisner/Brown (USA) 70 64 67 60

265 Kraft/Tway (USA) 71 63 70 61266 Spieth/Palmer (USA) 66 66 70 64

269 Watson/Holmes (USA) 73 64 68 64, Koepka/Koepka (USA) 69 65 73 62, Cabrera/Etulain (Arg) 70 63 71 65, Thomas/Cauley (USA) 70 64 74 61, C Hoffman/Watney (USA) 67 65 69 68, Dufner/Kizzire (USA) 69 64 73 63

270 Murray/Percy (USA) 70 67 71 62, Stuard/Stroud (USA) 68 64 71 67, Schauffele/Ridings (USA) 68 64 73 65

271 Lingmerth/Lee (Swe) 72 62 72 65, Reed/Cantlay (USA) 68 62 75 66, Harman/Wagner (USA) 71 64 72 64, Van Aswegen/Goosen (Rsa) 73 60 72 66, Stricker/Kelly (USA) 68 66 72 65, M Hoffman/Villegas (USA) 72 62 71 66, Jacobsen/Wilcox (Swe) 71 63 73 64, Thompson/Wilkinson (USA) 71 66 68 66

272 Hearn/De Laet (Can) 71 66 72 63, Barnes/Jones (USA) 70 67 70 65

273 Cejka/Kjeldsen (Ger) 70 62 75 66, Henry/Hoge (USA) 69 67 71 66, Merritt/Streb (USA) 69 62 74 68, Choi/Wi (Kor) 67 64 76 66, Grace/Oosthuizen (Rsa) 70 67 70 66

274 Stanley/Ruffels (USA) 66 66 77 65, Bryan/Blaum (USA) 71 65 71 67, Reifers/Johnston (USA) 71 66 73 64

275 Ogilvy/Poulter (Aus) 69 66 71 69, Swafford/English (USA) 70 67 73 65, Matsuyama/Tanihara (Jpn) 69 66 75 65, Bozzelli/Poston (USA) 70 66 73 66

276 Kim/Hagy (USA) 72 64 71 69