PGA Tour Brunch | Zurich Classic
First Round Preview of the 2026 Zurich Classic | NOLA
The Zurich Classic | Preview
NEW ORLEANS - Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin, the defending champions of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finished one stroke ahead of Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard to earn their first TOUR titles. Novak and Griffing held the 54-hole lead before going on to win last season.
Griffin went on to win two more times in 2025 (Charles Schwab Challenge, World Wide Technology Championship) and was a PGA TOUR Player of the Year nominee, while Novak later claimed the Grant Thornton Invitational (unofficial TOUR victory) with the LPGA’s Lauren Coughlin.
The Fitzpatrick Brothers - Matt and Alex - will make their fourth consecutive tournament appearance as a team (T19/2023, T11/2024, MC/2025). Matt is making his 10th start on TOUR this season, highlighted by two victories with one coming last weeked at the RBC Heritage. The other: Valspar Championship.
Matt, the four-time PGA TOUR winner, is one of two players with multiple wins on TOUR this season (Chris Gotterup) while Alex secured his first win on the DP World Tour at the Hero Indian Open just one week after Matt’s victory at the Valspar Championship.
Matt is the highest ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Here’s Matt Fitzpatrick’s take on his brother Alex’s game: “When we first played here and Alex’s driving wasn’t his strong suit, he struggled. Great iron play, great short game. Incredible short game really. I feel like now it’s definitely, he’s a strong putter, and he’s a strong driver of the golf ball. He’s showed that a lot this season already. You know, even just playing a few practice rounds with him this week, we’ve seen that as well. Big turnaround. It’s really impressive. Obviously it’s going to come in handy this week.”
Other notes: on this week’s field:
Teams in the field that have won: Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin (2025), Nick Hardy and Davis Riley (2023)
Players who won with different partners: Shane Lowry (2024 with Rory McIlory), Ryan Palmer (2019 with Jon Rahm), Billy Horschel (2018 with Scott Piercy) and Scott Piercy (2018 with Billy Horschel)
Players who won in the individual format: Billy Horschel (2013), Jason Dufner (2012), Nick Watney (2007)
Four teams that finished inside the top 10 in 2025 are paired together in 2026: Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin (Won), Karl Vilips and Michael Thorbjornsen (T4), Luke List and Henrik Norlander (T4), Chad Ramey and Justin Lower (T8).
Each player on the winning team will receive 400 FedExCup points, $1,372,750 and a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR (through 2028).
Zurich Classic | Tournament Facts
COURSE: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, LA
ARCHITECT: Pete Dye
YARDS/PAR: 7,425 yards/Par 72
PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $9,500,000/$1,372,750
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Ben Griffin/Andrew Novak
OVERVIEW: (link)
PAST RESULTS: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winners: 400 to each player
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Zurich_Classic.
Thursday, April 23, 2026 | All Times Eastern Daylight
8:00am to 6:00pm - PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ Streaming
12-Noon to 6:00pm - SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio
3:00pm to 6:00pm - Golf Channel and the NBC Sports app Streaming
How to Watch: Please visit: (PGATourCom)
NOLA: Remember, the local time in New Orleans is Central time, one hour behind Eastern Daylight time.
The Basics
How the Team Format Works (PGATourCom)
Zurich Classic Tee Times start today at 8:00am and go to 3:02pm (EDT).
Weather: Thursday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies but a 23% chance of rain. Temperatures rising to 80-degrees with winds at 13 mph. (Rain likely on Saturday).
Zurich Classic Tournament Web Site: (link)
FedEx Cup Standings: (link)
PGA Tour Brunch will post by 8:00AM (EDT) Friday.
The Zurich Classic | Field, Update and Tee Times
The Field: (link)
Update:
Sunday, April 19
David Ford (WD); Sudarshan Yellamaraju (IN), (with Ryan Gerard)
Tee Times: (link)
The Zurich Classic | What They’re Saying
Horses for the Course: Zurich Classic (PGATourCom)
PGA Tour’s Biggest NFL Fan (ESPN)
Koepka & Lowry: No one SawIt Coming (Golf Week)
How It Works at Zurich Classic (PGATourCom)
How to Watch today’s first round (PGATourCom)
Sports Gambling, Daily Fantasy and Golf Industry News
Expert Picks for Zurich (PGATourCom)
Sleeper Picks for Zurich Classic (PGATourCom)
Busy Stretch: Zurich Classic Gets Caught in Middle (Golf Week)
On This Day in Golf History:
April 23, 1978 - Gary Player won his 24th and last event on the PGA Tour, shooting a final round (69) to defeat Andy Bean by one stroke at the Houston Open. The win capped an incredible three weeks for Player as he won The Masters (April 9), and the Tournament of Champions the previous week. (Courtesy of Randy Walker), Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Next Up
Parting Putt
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