James Mason
Team play is the order of the week on the PGA Tour with 80 pairs, headlined by defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, descending upon TPC Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The decision to change the Zurich Classic format to a team event in 2017 has proven to be a smart decision, with the previous fields that were dwindling in quality now filled with several of the world’s leading players. Having reigning Masters champion McIlroy and 2019 Open winner Lowry back to defend their title is further evidence of how well-regarded this tournament is and the duo will fancy their chances of becoming the first team to successfully retain the crown.
But given this is McIlroy’s first tournament since completing the Grand Slam at Augusta National, there are enough doubts about how dialed in he will be and getting off to a slow start will severely hamper the chances of success, as all 7 winners since switching to the team format have posted -20 or better Let’s dive into my golf predictions for this week’s PGA event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
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Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf picks and predictions
Zurich Classic best bet: Billy Horschel & Tom Hoge (+2800)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
One player who knows how to get it around TPC Louisiana is Billy Horschel, who is the only player to have won both the individual and team title. He posted -20 when claiming the spoils in 2013 before partnering with Scott Piercy for the win in 2018. Horschel was also tied-4th in 2021, 2nd in 2022 and tied-11th in 2023, with all of those results coming alongside Sam Burns, and the 2-time champion has opted to partner with Tom Hoge for this year’s edition.
Ranked 42nd in the world, Hoge has been posting consistent results over the last month, having registered top-5 finishes at the Players Championship and the Texas Open before a tied-14th effort at the Masters and a tied-18th at last week’s RBC Heritage. The 35-year-old has one top-10 and a top-15 finish at the Zurich Classic, and he also has experience winning a team event, having landed the now-defunct QBE Shootout with Sahith Theegala in 2022. Both Hoge and Horschel are strong putters, a part of the game that is essential to success given the winning scores at TPC Louisiana, and the duo appears to have a great chance this week.
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Zurich Classic prediction: Nico Echavarria & Max Greyserman (+3500)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Another team worth considering is the Colombian/American pairing of Nico Echavarria and Max Greyserman, who impressed on their Zurich Classic debut last year when finishing tied-4th together. Two-time PGA Tour winner Echavarria leads in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour this season and that strong form on the greens could prove to be invaluable. Greyserman was tied-27th at the RBC Heritage last time out, following on from his solid tied-32nd finish on his Masters debut, and there is a lot to like about this pair.
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