The Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour’s only official team event, gets underway on Thursday at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana. The field features three top-10 players, including Rory McIlroy, who is making his event debut alongside Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry. The defending champions, Davis Riley and Nick Hardy, will be looking to repeat their victory from last year, when they set the tournament record with a 30-under 258.
The Zurich Classic is a unique event on the PGA Tour, as it is the only tournament that features two-player teams. The teams will play fourball in the first and third rounds, and foursomes (alternate shot) in the second and fourth rounds. Each player on the winning team will earn 400 FedEx Cup points, a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour through 2026, and entry into the three remaining signature events this year.
In addition to McIlroy and Lowry, other notable teams in the field include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris, and Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama. Cantlay and Schauffele are the betting favorites to win the tournament, as they are the only pairing of top-10 players in the field. They won the event in 2022 and finished T4 last year.
The Zurich Classic is always a popular event with fans, as it offers a different format than most other PGA Tour events. The team aspect of the tournament adds an extra level of excitement, and the fans are always treated to some great golf.
Here are some additional notes about the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
– This is the seventh year that the Zurich has been a team event.
– The field is comprised of 80 two-player teams.
– The purse is $8.9 million, with the winners each earning $1.286 million.
– The event is being televised on Golf Channel and CBS.
– Streaming coverage is available on ESPN+.
