The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is the only team event on the PGA Tour and has been played at the par-72, Pete Dye-designed TPC New Orleans, about 15 miles from the Big Easy, since 2005. The tournament has been contested since 1938, and until 2017, the format was the traditional individual stroke play seen at the rest of the PGA tournament sites.
Due to COVID-19, it was one of a handful of tournaments that was canceled in 2020 and not made up later in the year. The last time it was played in 2019, Joh Rahm and Ryan Palmer came away winners by three shots over Sergio Garcia and Tommy Fleetwood and are considered the defending champions.
A tough team to beat could be Marc Leishman teaming up with Cameron Smith…their odds of +1400 look very inviting.
Betting Odds Leaders
The defending champions are the betting favorites at +600, followed by Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele at +650. Cantlay hasn’t played well in the past month, while Schauffele has had flashes of solid play recently.
Smith has switched partners and will be playing alongside Marc Leishman at +1400, with both players having good seasons. Smith shot a first-round 62 last week in the RBC Heritage but wasn’t able to follow it up on the weekend.
Two young stars on the rise, Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff, will pair up and also have odds of +1400. Veteran Bubba Watson will team with 24-year-old Scottie Scheffler in an interesting pairing as they complete the top five in betting odds at +1600.
Zurich Classic Underdog Picks
Byeong Hun An and Sungjae Im are teaming up with odds of +4500 to come out on top at the TPC New Orleans. Im is one of the hardest-working players on Tour. He’s already played in 20 Tour events in the 2021 season and has only missed two cuts, the most recent at the Masters.
An has also been busy, appearing in 16 tournaments and making his first 12 cuts of the year but missing the last four. He’s not been playing well, but pairing with his fellow South Korean might change his fortunes this week.
A potential Ryder Cup pairing is Justin Rose with Henrik Stenson, also with odds of +4500. Rose was the winner on his own in 2015, so he has a good track record around the course. Stenson is a strong team player and, along with his countryman, could be a real factor in Louisiana.
Andrew Landry and Austin Cook, former teammates out of the University of Arkansas, will be teaming up in what is certain to be a comfortable pairing. Both players are former PGA Tour winners, with Landry’s the most recent at the American Express in 2020. The comfort level of playing together makes them a good longshot pick at +12500.
