The only team format PGA Tour event takes place this week with 80 teams of two players hitting the TPC Louisiana track for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Teams will play a best ball format on Thursday and Saturday with alternate shot used on Friday and Sunday. Less than half the field will advance to the weekend, and the team format adds a layer of intrigue to the betting on this event. The Aussie duo of Jason Day and Adam Scott came off as the betting favorites at +650. However, there are several teams with strong golfers that will make matchup betting interesting. Below is a look at some matchup odds for the event that gets underway on Thursday.
Zurich Classic of New Orleans Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Sharma/Lahiri -115 vs. Kirk/Straka -115
Reavie/Glover -105 vs. Blixt/Smith -125
Finau/Stanley -135 vs. Oosthuizen/Schwartzel +105
Day/Scott -120 vs. Garcia/Fleetwood -110
Whee Kim/Im -130 vs. Henley/Blaum +100
Stenson/McDowell -105 vs. Finau/Stanley -125
Poulter/Horsfield -115 vs. Koepka B/Koepka C -115
Rahm/Palmer -127 vs. Watson/Holmes -103
Garcia/Fleetwood -120 vs. Reed/Cantlay -110
Day/Scott -133 vs. Reed/Cantlay +103
Horschel/Piercy -115 vs. Watson/Holmes -115
Kisner/Brown -123 vs. Vegas/Ancer -107
Poston/Jaeger +105 vs. M Kim/Pan -135
Stenson/McDowell -117 vs. Oosthuizen/Schwartzel -113
Rahm/Palmer -130 vs. Horschel/Piercy +100
Grace/Harding -128 vs. Hoffman/Watney -102
Dufner/Perez -115 vs. Stallings/Mullinax -115
Cook/Landry +105 vs. D Lee/Kang -135
Stroud/Kokrak -128 vs. Hadwin/Baddeley -102
Harrington/Lowry -128 vs. Niemann/Frittelli -102
Harman/Kizzire -127 vs. Gay/Sabbatini -102
Laird/Taylor, N -115 vs. Hadley/Garnett -115
Champ/Burns -128 vs. Si Woo Kim/Bae -102
Knox/Stuard -128 vs. Conners/Hughes -102
Steele/Donald -105 vs. Streelman/Taylor, V -125
Need to Know
This will be just the third playing of the event with the team format and it’s the only one on Tour, so it’s all still new to most of the field. Several pairings return from the previous events, including 2017 winners Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith, along with the defending champs Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy. Does that give them an edge in this week’s tournament? Hard to say, but it can’t hurt their chances. TPC Louisiana is a very scoreable par 72 that stretches to nearly 7,500 yards. Tee to green the layout is relatively easy for the pros with 65 percent of fairways and nearly 67 percent of greens hit in regulation. When the course became the permanent home of the Zurich Classic in 2007, and additional 100 sand traps and numerous water hazards were sprinkled about to make the layout a bit more challenging.
Zurich Classic of New Orleans Matchup Picks
Blixt/Smith -125 vs. Reavie/Glover
The duo of Blixt and Smith is one of just two to win this event, so they must be taken seriously. That came in the first team format playing in 2017 and needed extra holes. One year later they missed the cut with a second round 76 in alternate ball. So the question this week is what pair makes an appearance. Given recent form from both players, which has been solid if not spectacular, I’m willing to wager the 2017 pair shows up and gets me a win in this matchup.
Day/Scott -120 vs. Garcia/Fleetwood
Both Day and Scott are among the top 28 in the OWGR and they have won as a pair in the past. The duo streaked to a 10-shot victory at the 2013 World Cup of Golf on their home soil and the Aussies reunite for only the second time since then. Day has a pair of top 5s as an individual at TPC Louisiana and is expected to carry the team for the first round with Scott making his course debut. This is a tough matchup, but Garcia’s game has been in the tank recently giving the edge to the Aussies.
Kisner/Brown -123 vs. Vegas/Ancer
It’s tough to make a lot of coin when taking the negative odds, but getting a win beats the alternative. The duo of Kisner and Brown has played the previous two events and did everything but win, losing a playoff in 2017 and sharing 15th last year. They aren’t as long off the tee as their matchup, but there is something to be said about team chemistry, and Kisner and Brown have it. Kisner is still glowing after his WGC Match Play win and Brown has three top-10s this year, making them hard to ignore.
Reed/Cantlay -110 vs. Garcia/Fleetwood
Another tandem that is playing together for the third straight year, the Patricks finished T14 in 2017 and T7 last year. Cantlay is on a nice run of form and Reed has the tools that work well on this layout. Another team that’s hard to ignore given their success in this format along with their recent play individually.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is scheduled for April 25-28 and can be seen on Golf Channel and CBS.
