The PGA Tour continues on this week as it visits TPC Louisiana for the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Designed by the legendary Pete Dye, with Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson serving as consultants, TPC Louisiana will play as a Par 72, 7,425 yard layout this week.
TPC Louisiana is a long course, but has always been a scoreable course, with the winning score averaging between -13 and -22 during the final 10 stroke play editions, while the winning team scores have averaged between -20 and -30 during the 6 team editions. Birdies will be plenty this week and teams will be looking to have fun, but there are still several things you need to do to find success. For starters, players need to take advantage of the Par 5’s. I know that that is key pretty much any given week on tour, but TPC Louisiana has some of the easiest Par 5’s on tour. Taking advantage of them will put you a leg ahead of your competition. Elite iron play will pay dividends this week as well, as there is water lurking all around the course and over 100 bunkers that have been strategically placed to take advantage of tee shots and approach shots that are hit without thought or focus. Finally, with the winning scores being so low each year, you have to make your putts. If one player on the team is having a bad week on the greens, then that team is going to be behind the 8-ball early and will struggle to be a factor come Sunday.
The Zurich Classic is an outlier event on tour, serving as the only team event on the schedule. 80 teams are teeing it up this week, with the top 33 teams and ties making the cut. The Thursday and Saturday rounds will be best ball, where both players will play their own ball and keep the lowest score for the hole, while the Friday and Sunday rounds will be alternate shot, with the team playing one ball and alternating shots until they hole out on each hole.
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans was first held as a stroke play event in 1938 before becoming a team event in 2017. A fixture on tour for over 80 years now, many of the game’s greats have won here. Past winners include Harry Cooper, Henry Picard, Jimmy Demaret, Lloyd Mangrum, Byron Nelson, Billy Casper, Dow Finsterwald, Doug Sanders, Mason Rudolph, Frank Beard, George Knudson, George Archer, Miller Barber, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Lon Hinkle, Hubert Green, Tom Watson, Scott Hoch, Bill Rogers, Seve Ballesteros, Calvin Peete, Ben Crenshaw, Chip Beck, David Frost, Ian Woosnam, Davis Love III, Scott McCarron, Brad Faxon, Lee Westwood, Carlos Franco, David Toms, K. J. Choi, Steve Flesch, Vijay Singh, Tim Petrovic, Chris Couch, Nick Watney, Andrés Romero, Jerry Kelly, Jason Bohn, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose, Brian Stuard, Scott Piercy, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt, Ryan Palmer and Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele and Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, just to name a few.
Since switching to a team event in 2017, the only player to win it multiple times is Cameron Smith, who won it with Jonas Blixt in 2017 and Marc Leishman in 2021, while Billy Horschel won this as a stroke play event in 2013 and as a team with Scott Piercy in 2018, being the only player to accomplish this feat. The 18 hole best ball scoring record is 59, which was shot by Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele during the first round in 2022. The 18 hole alternate shot record is 63, which was first accomplished by Cantlay and Schauffele during the second round in 2023 and equaled by Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor during the final round in 2023. The 72 hole individual scoring record for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is 262 (-26), which was accomplished by Chip Beck during his victory at Lakewood Country Club in 1988, while the team scoring record is 258 (-30), which was accomplished last year by Nick Hardy and Davis Riley.
Last year’s edition was won by Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, who came from three strokes back on the final day by birdieing four of their final six holes to win by two strokes over Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor. Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler finished in third place, three strokes back, while Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele and Taylor Moore and Matthew NeSmith finished T-4, four strokes back.
Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris are listed as young bucks who should make a great showing, but I don’t like this pick at all. Theegala, while solid, just doesn’t strike me for a team player. I think he shines alone. This is something I think will cause a downfall for this pair.
Dark Horses:
Daniel Berger and Victor Perez could make a huge sweep or fall flat on their face this week. I’m pulling that Berger’s back injury is on the mend with his consecutive cuts and that he and Perez can make a run on the leaderboard as an unlikely duo. Perez is solid and will hopefully make up for what Berger struggles with. I think they are an unexpected pair here, but could rise to the occasion.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have chemistry from the Ryder Cup and I like this duo. Shane can help influence Rory to stay calm for the week and make moves. Both are steady players who might just motivate each other enough to play well. Rory loves competitive team play and his game is super consistent, which is what this event needs.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are a strong choice. They are good friends and the ebb and flow is there, folks. Last year, they almost took it, with only one bad final round. I have a feeling they are right back at the top this year. They have opposite strengths and this is why it always works for them.
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