MIAMI: Americans Ryan Palmer and Charley Hoffman combined for a 16-under par 56 scramble score to grab a two-stroke lead after Friday's (Saturday in Manila) opening round of the QBE Shootout.

Palmer, 46, and Hoffman, 45, had 10 birdies and three eagles in a format that produced low scores in the annual invitational pairs event during a break in the US PGA Tour schedule.

'We put ourself in great positions to make birdies,' Hoffman said.

'I would say very low stress all day long. Ryan made some great putts. I was able to hit some good drives and be able to capitalize on pretty much all our shots.'

Canada's Corey Conners and South Korean Lee Kyoung-hoon fired a 58 to share second with Americans Max Homa and Kevin Kisner.

The 12 duos will compete in a modified alternate shot format on Saturday and in four-ball in Sunday's final round at Tiburon in Naples, Florida.

'Tomorrow is a tougher format, but it sure helps to jump start when you can shoot a low one on the first round,' Palmer said. 'If we're both hitting it well, I think we'll have a lot of chances.

Two LPGA players are competing in the event, with world number two Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy of the United States and Americans Lexi Thompson and Maverick McNealy both combining for 60s to stand in a pack sharing fourth.

The QBE Shootout will become a mixed-team event starting in 2023, returning such a format to the schedule for the first time since the JC Penney Classic in 1999.

Players were informed of the change at a meeting last week in the Bahamas.

Details have not been confirmed, such as the qualification criteria or the format. The QBE Shootout dates to 1989 when it was more commonly known as the Shark Shootout.

'I think it's something that needed to be done for quite a while,' Billy Horschel said. 'When you look at the game of golf, the fans want to see more team events, see something different. It's going to benefit the PGA Tour, but I think it's going to benefit the LPGA Tour even more in terms of getting more exposure.'

The PGA Tour had been working on converting the World Cup of Golf into a mixed-team event, but progress was slowed when the Covid-19 pandemic arrived.