All season players go head to head in individual stroke play tournaments, but for one week the PGA Tour deviates from its normal format with the only full-field team event. This week 80 teams of two players hit TPC Louisiana 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. Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, both ranked among the top-5 in the OWGR, sit atop the PGA odds board as the betting favorites in the outright market, slightly ahead of the defending champ Australian duo of Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith. Those teams are featured in a number of matchups, including against each other. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchups and betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Zurich Classic of New Orleans Matchup Odds
Hovland/Morikawa -115 vs. Cantlay/Schauffele -115
Hovland/Morikawa -135 vs. Leishman/Smith +105
Hovland/Morikawa -135 vs. Palmer/Scheffler +105
Cantlay/Schauffele -135 vs. Leishman/Smith +105
Cantlay/Schauffele -135 vs. Palmer/Scheffler +105
Leishman/Smith -115 vs. Palmer/Scheffler -115
Burns/Horschel -135 vs. Fleetwood/Garcia +105
Burns/Horschel -150 vs. Lowry/Poulter +120
Fleetwood/Garcia -130 vs. Lowry/Poulter +100
Niemann/Pereira -120 vs. Varner III/Watson -110
Niemann/Pereira -120 vs. Gooch/Homa -110
Varner III/Watson -115 vs. Gooch/Homa -115
Hatton/Willett +100 vs. An/Im -130
Hatton/Willett +100 vs. Riley/Zalatoris -130
An/Im -115 vs. Riley/Zalatoris -115
Bradley/Steele -135 vs. Kirk/Todd +105
Bradley/Steele -150 vs. McDowell/Power +120
Kirk/Todd -125 vs. McDowell/Power -105
Hadwin/Svensson -135 vs. Ghim/Schwab +105
Laird/MacIntyre -135 vs. Rose/Stenson +105
Mitchell/Snedeker -110 vs. Merritt/Streb -120
Bezuidenhout/Schwartzel +100 vs. Clark/Tringale -130
Knox/Stuard -105 vs. Noren/Norlander -125
Bramlett/McNealy -140 vs. Brown/Kisner +110
Day/Scrivener -110 vs. Lipsky/Rai -120
Moore/NeSmith -130 vs. Hossler/Theegala +100
Glover/Reavie -110 vs. Dahmen/Jaeger -120
Horsfield/Wallace -115 vs. Grace/Higgo -115
Garnett/Stallings -115 vs. Kohles/McCarthy -115
Ryder/Redman -110 vs. Buckley/Smalley -120
Cabrera Bello/Grillo -120 vs. Hoffman/Watney -110
Higgs/Smotherman -115 vs. Duncan/Schenk -115
Need to Know
This will be the fifth playing of the event using the team format and it’s the only one on Tour, so it’s still a fairly new concept. Several pairings return from previous events, including 2021 winners Smith and Leishman. Does that give them an edge in this week’s tournament? Hard to say, but it can’t hurt. 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, an 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
Palmer/Scheffler +105 vs. Cantlay/Schauffele
There are plenty of good teams and interesting matchups, but backing the best player in the world is probably a good move. In fact I’m betting on it. The Cantlay/Schauffele team is one of the most natural in the field and I really wanted to go with them, but Scheffler can do no wrong as he tees it up for the first time since winning the Masters, his fourth title in six starts. And Palmer is sneaky good in this tournament or real lucky. He paired with Jordan Spieth in 2017 and won with Jon Rahm in 2019, one of his three top-10s here. At plus odds how can I not back this team?
Leishman/Smith +105 vs. Hovland/Morikawa
Smith is another guy who certainly enjoys the layout or the format or both. And this is another matchup that had me leaning the other way initially. The Aussie team won in a playoff last year and the two are among the international Presidents Cup team. Smith has been a champ in half the team events at TPC Louisiana winning with Jonas Blixt in 2017. He also has two wins on his resume this season. And the guys complement each other on the course with different strengths.
Gooch/Homa -110 vs. Niemann/Pereira
Another team back to give it a go, Gooch/Homa look to improve on last year’s T17. It’s safe to say both players are in a better place entering this year’s edition than they were ahead of the 2021 version. And both players are perfectly balanced to score well on a course that can yield low numbers. Homa won earlier this season in Napa while some fine use of the putter has helped Gooch record four top-10s.
Bradley/Steele -135 vs. Kirk/Todd
There’s a pattern with the teams I’m backing in case you haven’t noticed. The three listed above all have some experience together be it on Tour or elsewhere. Well, the same holds true the duo of Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele. The longtime buddies gave it a go in 2017 missing the cut and didn’t reunite again until last year when they finished tied for fourth. Both are also playing well individually lifting their expectations.
Niemann/Pereira -120 vs. Varner III/Watson
It’s always been popular to see fellow countrymen team up in this event, and we have the two best golfers from Chile chasing down a title. Both Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira enjoy Pete Dye designed courses and they’ll use their distance off the tee as a plus since the rough is less penal than most layouts. Niemann followed a T6 at the Farmers with a win at the Genesis and most recently was T12 at the RBC Heritage.
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