After a long stretch of pressure, high stacks and emotionally draining tournaments, it’s time for a little fun in Louisiana at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. A loaded field of two-man teams has made its way to TPC Louisiana where a $8.9 million purse is up for grabs ($1,286,050 goes to each member of the winning team).
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, No. 6 and 8 in the Official World Golf Ranking, respectively, are the betting favorites at +400 and it’s easy to see why. The pair won the event in 2022 and tied for fourth last year. At last week’s RBC Heritage, Cantlay tied for 8th while Schauffele took a share of 22nd.
The highest-ranked player in the field, however, is Rory McIlroy. The world No. 2 is teaming up with fellow Irishman and good buddy Shane Lowry as he’s set to make his tournament debut.
Some of the other notable teams include Will Zalatoris/Sahith Theegala, Collin Morikawa/Kurt Kitayama, and Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick.
Golf course
TPC Louisiana | Par 72 | 7,425 yards | Pete Dye design
Betting odds
| Team | Odds | Team | Odds |
| Patrick Cantlay / Xander Schauffele | +400 | Keith Mitchell / Joel Dahmen | +4000 |
| Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry | +700 | Doug Ghim / Chan Kim | +4000 |
| Will Zalatoris / Sahith Theegala | +800 | Billy Horschel / Tyson Alexander | +4000 |
| Collin Morikawa / Kurt Kitayama | +1200 | Thomas Detry / Robert MacIntyre | +4500 |
| Rasmus Højgaard / Nicolai Højgaard | +2200 | Davis Thompson / Andrew Novak | +4500 |
| Tom Hoge / Maverick McNealy | +2500 | Taylor Moore / Matt NeSmith | +5000 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick / Alex Fitzpatrick | +2500 | Beau Hossler / Sam Ryder | +5000 |
| Taylor Pendrith / Corey Conners | +2800 | Austin Eckroat / Chris Gotterup | +5000 |
| Nick Taylor / Adam Hadwin | +3000 | K.H. Lee / Michael Kim | +5500 |
| Sepp Straka / Brice Garnett | +4000 | Davis Riley / Nick Hardy | +5500 |
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Picks to win
Scottie Scheffler acknowledges the fans after winning the 2024 RBC Heritage. (Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)
Shane Lowry (35/1): T-64
Denny McCarthy (45/1): T-28
Cam Davis (50/1): T-49
Lucas Glover (55/1): T-33
Taylor Moore (60/1): T-58
A gross — some might call it disgusting — week, sure. But unless you’re picking Scottie every week, you’re not winning. Simple as that. Good news for all you gamblers out there: Scheffler isn’t in the field this week! We might have a chance to cash a bet.
Tom Hoge tees off on the first hole during the third round of The Players Championship PGA golf tournament Saturday, March 16, 2024 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Picking winners at the Zurich is always a little tricky, so I’m relying on the basics this week: how well is each member of the team playing coming into the week.
Sure, Hoge tied for 18th at the RBC Heritage last week, but that was thanks to a quintuple-bogey nine on the par-4 18th. Plus, Hoge tied for 14th at the Texas Children’s Houston Open at the end of March.
In 10 starts this season, McNealy has made nine cuts and has finished inside the top 15 three times in his last six starts.
Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy pose with the trophy and commerative belts during the final round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 29, 2018 in Avondale, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Horschel is coming off a win at the opposite field event last week, the Corales Puntacana Championship. Albeit without Alexander as a partner, Horschel has finished 1st (2018), T-13 (2019), T-4 (2021), 2nd (2022) and T-11 (2023) in his last five trips to TPC Louisiana.
Alexander didn’t have his best stuff at the Corales Puntacana, tying for 55th, but he did tie for 14th at the Valero Texas Open a few weeks ago.
Sepp Straka of Austria plays his shot from the third tee during the second round of the Valspar Championship at Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club on March 22, 2024 in Palm Harbor, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Since missing the cut at the Valspar Championship in March, Straka has finished T-16 at the Masters and T-12 at the RBC Heritage. He’s trending in the right direction and heading to a golf course that should fit his game.
Garnett has a win already this season at the Puerto Rico Open and is coming off a T-12 performance at the RBC Heritage.
Thomas Detry of Belgium walks the 12th hole during the first round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on March 28, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Detry tied for 62nd at the Players, but has since gotten hot. He tied for 17th at the Valspar Championship, for second at the Houston Open and for 20th at last week’s RBC Heritage.
MacIntyre hasn’t had his best stuff of late, but he’s due to contend in a PGA Tour event. The Zurich could act as a perfect springboard for the Scot.
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