This week’s PGA Tour has an unusual feel with the two-man team event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which starts at the TPC Louisiana on Thursday.
A total of 80 pairs will start the tournament which will have fourball rounds on Thursday and Saturday and foursome, alternate shots, on Friday and Sunday.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who were fourth last year and won in 2022, are set to go off favourites in front of Ryder Cup heroes Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, but there could be value to be found further down the list.
- Sahith Theegala & Will Zalatoris to win
- Billy Horschel & Tyson Alexander to win
- Adam Hadwin & Nick Taylor to win
Theegala And Zalatoris To Shine
Strong cases could be made for both of the pairs at the top of the market, but it is the team of Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris that really catches the eye.
Theegala has had an excellent start to 2024 despite not yet claiming a prize and fully deserves his place in the top 20 of the world rankings.
He claimed his fifth top-10 finish of the year when he found only the unstoppable Scottie Scheffler too good at last week’s RBC Heritage, so he should be buzzing for his visit to Louisiana.
His partnership this year looks a strong one as Zalatoris is playing some decent golf after missing a large chunk of the 2023 schedule with a back injury.
His Heritage challenge faded, but he was ninth at the Masters and also performed well at the Genesis and the Arnold Palmer.
Zalatoris also has course form, having finished fourth with last year’s winner Davis Riley two years ago.
Horschel Can Continue Course Affair
Billy Horschel loves TPC Louisiana, having won this tournament with Scott Piercy and also triumphed when it was an individual event in 2013.
The Floridian could not have come into the week in better form having won the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic last week and he was second and fourth in this playing alongside Sam Burns in the last two years.
New partner Tyson Alexander could raise his game having been drafted in to partner a player who thrives in this tournament, so it is worth taking a chance that they can make a big impression.
Canadians Could Go One Better
Defending champions Davis Riley and Nick Hardy have not been in great form, but last year’s runners-up Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor look poised for a strong push as they look to enhance their Presidents Cup credentials.
Hadwin has had a number of decent finishes this year, taking sixth in the American Express, fourth at the Genesis and fifth at the Valspar in his final effort before the Masters.
Meanwhile, Taylor has won twice since their last TPC Louisiana trip, claiming a momentous victory in his home Canadian Open and then beating a strong field in Phoenix.
These two friends plainly team up well together and they can enjoy another successful week.
