Zurich Classic Picks & Preview
Jonah Owenby
This week the PGA Tour takes us to NOLA, where we get the chance to preview the Zurich Classic, the second and final team event of the PGA Tour season. This event gives us a chance to mix it up a little from the normal strokeplay format, and usually see some faces that we don’t normally at a regular event. The format for this event is different than the QBE shootout, with alternating days of four-ball and foursomes. Four ball is where both teammates play their own ball, and the best score between the two is the team score for that hole. Foursomes, also known as alt-shot, is where they take turns playing every other shot. Alt-shot provides some great strategy, because the players takes turns with each tee shot, essentially even or odd holes, so you can choose to have the long hitter on most the par 5’s or the better iron player on most the par 3’s. When most tour events are the exact same format, it’s nice to have these tournaments mixed in to change it up a bit. Let’s get into it.
Tournament Details:
Dates: April 20th-23rd
Purse: $8.3 million
Course: TPC Louisiana
Location: Avondale, Louisiana
Architect: Pete Dye and Steve Elkington
Par: 72
Length: 7,425yards
Rating/Slope: 76.3 / 138
The Field:
This week’s field has some strong players at the top but gets a little weak, which is normal for this event. The two highest ranked players in the field are on the same team, Xander Schaufelle and Patrick Cantlay. Coming off his win last week Matt Fitzpatrick comes in breaking Top 10 in the OWGR, teaming up with his brother Alex who would gain a PGA Tour card if they pull off a win (which would be hilarious). Team Homakawa (Homa/Morikawa) features the number 7th and 13th ranked players in the world respectively. This field features a TON of guys who are unknown so we’ll get to see some new names and maybe find a new tour member along the way.
Check out the rest of the field here.
Picks for the Zurich Classic:
Top 20 Finish:
Harris English & Tom Hoge +135
Luke List & Henrik Norlander +210
Harris English has a runner up finish earlier this season at API, and Tom Hoge already has one team event victory this season at the QBE Shootout (with Sahith Theegala) to go along with his course record at TPC Sawgrass a few weeks ago. In a field where it’s not full of heavy weights, these two should be able to swing a Top 20 at plus money.
Luke List has missed the cut in 5 of his last 7 events and only broken 70 twice across all of those rounds. So, perhaps having a teammate this week can give him some much needed help this week. His help comes from Henrik Norlander who missed the cut in 7 of his first ten starts this season, but has Top 25 finishes in two of his last four events, making all four cuts. Turn it around boys.
Top 10 Finish:
Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele -160
Sam Burns & Billy Horschel +120
The reigning champs are looking to defend this week in Nola. Xander and Patrick are a problem in team events, Ryder/President’s cup results have been great, and obviously they took this one home last season. Patty Ice played well last week at the RBC even dealing with the much deserved slow-play comments every step, and Xander plays well with his buddy, so I think a Top-10 for these two is a lock.
Following similar logic, Sam Burns and Billy Horschel have been a great pair at this event. With a runner-up finish last year, and a 4th place finish the year before, love the action here to get them plus money to Top 10. Burns already has a victory this year at the Dell Match Play, and Billy is a gamer in these type of events.
Sahith Theegala, the other half of the winning team from the QBE shootout, has been playing solid golf this season and is coming off a T-5 finish last week at the RBC Heritage. he pairs up with Justin Suh who has been proving he can play with the best players in the world, shining at The Honda Classic and following up with another Top 10 at The Players. This team can ball strike it all over the place and should be there making noise on the weekend.
If you’ve read previous previews you know I’m a Buckley guy, and I think this feels like a great spot for a W. He’s coming off a T-5 finish at the RBC Heritage in a designated event, following another Top 10 finish at the Valero. Prior to that he’d missed four straight cuts, so I think we’ve found form again like earlier this year. J.J Spaun started off hot this year at one point finishing inside the Top 15 in 5 straight starts, but he cooled off and has missed the cut in 5 of his last 8. Hopefully, Hayden heating up counters Spauns cold streak.
Swindle of the Week:
Morikawa & Homa over Cantlay & Schauffele +140
Team Homakawa has been all over this event since they announced they’d be playing together. The pair of Cal Bears are two of if not the best iron players in the world. Both inside the Top 15 in the world, and with Morikawa looking more like himself recently, I think this will be a great week for them and a Top 5 finish, putting them in a great position to beat out the Cantlay/Schauffele crew.
The Zurich Classic FAQs
When is the Zurich Classic?
The Zurich Classic begins April 20th and concludes on April 23rd 2023
Who's in the field for the Zurich Classic?
The field for the Zurich Classic can be found on the PGA Tour Tournament site
Who won the 2022 the Zurich Classic?
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele won the 2022 Zurich Classic.
Who designed TPC Louisiana?
Pete Dye and Steve Elkington designed TPC Louisiana.
How much does the winner of the Zurich Classic get?
With a purse size of $8.3 million, the winning team gets $2.48 million, $1.24 million for each player.