2023 Zurich Classic leaderboard, scores: Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele off to slow start in title defense

The defending champions' lackluster start may have opened the door for another team to step through

After setting the 18-, 36-, 54- and 72-hole scoring records en route to victory in last year's Zurich Classic, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele were penciled in to successfully defend their title. That projection was quickly erased Thursday at the 2023 Zurich Classic as the world Nos. 4 and 5 found themselves 1 over through their first six holes. While they tried their best to battle back, a first-round 67 puts them six strokes off the pace of the early lead set by Brandon Matthews and Sean O'Hair as well as Beau Hossler and Wyndham Clark at 11 under.

The good news for Cantlay and Schauffele is their preferred format — foursomes — will be featured in Rounds 2 and 4. Additionally, dodgy weather is expected to roll into the TPC Louisiana area and may limit the ability of teams to make birdie in bunches potentially bunching this leaderboard heading into the weekend.

The bad news is there are a number of competent teams standing between them and the top of the leaderboard. Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell raced out the gates to a first-round 62 that even included a rare dropped shot in four-ball. Englishmen Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick sit at that same number after a well-rounded effort from the brothers while young guns Sahith Theegala and Justin Suh are one worse at 9 under.