The Zurich Classic | Tournament Preview
NEW ORLEANS - The Zurich Classic of New Orleans was first played in 1938 and features the popular two-man team match play. It’s the only official FedEx Cup event on the PGA Tour schedule that uses a team format and is the 19th of 36 events for the FedEx Cup Regular Season.
This is the seventh year the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, playing the two-man team format. It was introduced in 2017 but had to be canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Teams will play Four-Ball in the first and third rounds, and Foursomes (alternateshot) in the second and final rounds.
Nick Hardy and Davis Riley will defend their title after both earned their first PGA TOUR titles in 2023. Each player on the winning team will receive 400 FedExCup points, $1,286,050, a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR (through 2026) and entry into the three remaining Signature Events.
The field consists of 80 teams (160 players), with each team comprised of two professionals.
Zurich Classic | Tournament Facts
COURSE: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, LA
ARCHITECT: Pete Dye
YARDS/PAR: 7,425 yards/Par 72
PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $8,900,000/$1,286,050
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Davis Riley and Nick Hardy
PAST RESULTS: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winners: 400 to each player
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Zurich_Classic
Thursday, April 25, 2024 - All Times Eastern
7:30am to 6:00pm - ESPN+ Streaming
12:00 noon to 6:00pm - PGA Tour Radio | Online and Sirius XM
2:00pm to 6:00pm - Golf Channel and Peacock Network Streaming
NOLA: Remember, the local time in New Orleans is Central time, one hour behind Eastern Daylight time.
How to Watch: In case of changes, visit: (Golf Week)
The Basics
How the Team Format Works (PGATourCom)
Zurich Classic Tee Times start Thursday at 8:00am (ET) and go to 3:02pm (ET).
Weather: Thursday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with temperatures ranging from 67-to-84 degrees. Winds at 11mph with an 8% chance of rain. Winds to increase Fri-Sat-Sunday.
Zurich Classic Tournament Web Site: (link)
FedEx Cup Standings: (link)
PGA Tour Brunch will post before 8:00AM (ET) on Thursday.
The Zurich Classic | Field and Tee Times
The Field: (link)
Tee Times: (link)
The Zurich Classic | Odds
Source: CBS Sportsline
Patrick Cantlay / Xander Schauffele +500
Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry +800
Will Zalatoris / Sahith Theegala +1100
Collin Morikawa / Kurt Kitayama +1600
Tom Hoge / Maverick McNealy +2500
Matt Fitzpatrick / Alex Fitzpatrick +2500
Taylor Pendrith / Corey Conners +3500
Rasmus Højgaard / Nicolai Højgaard +3500
Taylor Montgomery / Ben Griffin +4000
Sepp Straka / Brice Garnett +4000
Nick Taylor / Adam Hadwin +4000
Keith Mitchell / Joel Dahmen +4000
Brice Garnett / Sepp Straka +4000
Thomas Detry / Robert MacIntyre +4500
Doug Ghim / Chan Kim +4500
Davis Thompson / Andrew Novak +4500
Daniel Berger / Victor Perez +4500
Kevin Yu / C.T. Pan +5000
Billy Horschel / Tyson Alexander +5000
Beau Hossler / Sam Ryder +5000
Andrew Putnam / Joe Highsmith +5000
Aaron Rai / David Lipsky +5000
Thorbjorn Olesen / Matt Wallace +6500
Taylor Moore / Matt NeSmith +6500
K.H. Lee / Michael Kim +6500
Greyson Sigg / Chesson Hadley +6500
Gary Woodland / Lee Hodges +6500
Garrick Higgo / Ryan Fox +6500
Austin Eckroat / Chris Gotterup +6500
Steve Stricker / Matt Kuchar +8000
Nate Lashley / Rafael Campos +8000
Luke List / Henrik Norlander +8000
Kevin Streelman / Martin Laird +8000
Dylan Wu / Justin Lower +8000
Davis Riley / Nick Hardy +8000
Chandler Phillips / Jacob Bridgeman +8000
Carson Young / Ben Martin +8000
Ben Silverman / Kevin Dougherty +8000
Zach Johnson / Ryan Palmer +10000
Vincent Norrman / Jorge Campillo +10000
Nico Echavarria / Max Greyserman +10000
Alex Smalley / Matti Schmid +10000
Thriston Lawrence / Aldrich Potgieter +13000
Ryan Brehm / Mark Hubbard +13000
Justin Suh / Rico Hoey +13000
Jhonattan Vegas / Bronson Burgoon +13000
J.J. Spaun / Hayden Buckley +13000
Erik Barnes / Harrison Endycott +13000
Chad Ramey / Martin Trainer +13000
Carl Yuan / Zecheng Dou +13000
Sam Stevens / Paul Barjon +15000
Peter Malnati / Russell Knox +15000
TL’s Wedge for an Edge: This week’s PGA Fantasy game is taking a week off because of the ‘World Team Golf” a.k.a Zurich Classic event in New Orleans. If playing on other platforms, this tournament allows fantasy players to select the lesser known, usually lower ranked partner for play and get the better-ranked, top-level PGA Tour pro. For my PGA Tour One and Done at the Zurich, the pick is Shane Lowry to get Rory McIlroy.
What They’re Saying:
How It Works at Zurich Classic (PGATourCom)
First Look at the Zurich (PGATourCom)
Ten Best Teams | Zurich Classic - (Golf Week)
FedExCup Standings (PGATourCom)
How to Watch Thursday’s R-1 (Golf Week)
Sports Gambling, Daily Fantasy and Industry News
Picks and Predictions for Zurich Classic - (Action Net)
Expert Picks for Zurich - (PGATourCom)
Sleeper Picks for Zurich Classic - (PGATourCom)
Countdown to the Paris Olympics (PGATourCom)
Tiger and Rory to Get Loyalty Checks (Yahoo Sports)
On This Day in Golf History:
April 24, 1988 - Chip Beck shot a final round (64) to win the USF&G Classic in New Orleans. Beck won by seven strokes over Lanny Wadkins. Beck had a chance to tie the PGA Tour record of 27-under but missed his 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole. - Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE