So when it was fascinating to see Jay, 68, with son Bill at this week’s Zurich Classic. Today we will discuss about Zurich Classic: Predictions| Power rankings| Cut rules
Zurich Classic: Predictions| Power rankings| Cut rules
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played in Avondale, Louisiana. Begun 84 years ago in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is usually played in early to mid-spring. Zurich Insurance Group is the main sponsor, and this Four! Organized by Kids Foundation
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Avondale, Louisiana |
| Established | 1938 |
| Course(s) | TPC Louisiana |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,425 yards (6,789 m)[2] |
| Organized by | Fore!Kids Foundation |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Team stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$8,300,000 |
| Month played | April |
Predictions
The Zurich Classic is a team event, in which 80 of the world’s best pairs are drawn to watch at TPC Louisiana. The dream team of Colin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland are the favourites, although the pair of Patrick Cantley and Xander Schöfel are not far behind them.
Cameron Smith and Mark Leishman are next on the board as defending champions. Smith has won the event twice since switching to a team format in 2017, when he finished first alongside Jonas Blixt. The pairing of Billy Horschel and Sam Burns, as well as Ryder Cup legends Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia, means there will be a lot of quality at hand this week.
Oh, and world No. 1 Scotty Scheffler is playing alongside Ryan Palmer for the first time since his Masters win.
Rounds 1 and 3 are best-of-ball formats, meaning each player will play a hole and the team will take the best score between the two. Rounds 2 and 4 are alternate shots, which is accurate.
Power rankings
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We’re doing things a little differently this week. New Orleans’ Zurich Classic is in its fifth installment as a team event, with 80 two-man squads heading to TPC Louisiana this week. Usually instead of a top-25, we’ll narrow it down to the top-10 for what should be a fun event.
It’s hard to argue against Team Horschel/Burns considering how well both are playing in stroke-play and how Horsell performs in team events. Both are coming into Zurich well, and Horschl has been brilliant in team events, finishing last year’s T4 (with Burns), T13 (2019) with Scott Piercy and last year’s QBE shootout with Sam Burns.
The team is inside the top-10 in the Warner III/Watson odds, but will not be able to make the top-10 in the rankings. HV3 is playing very well, but as a teammate he missed the cut four times here. We should be more interested in the Riley/Zalatoris team, which offers more upside this week. Their combined win on TOUR is nil, but this young pair have been competing against each other since their junior golf days and still do at their home courses in Dallas when they’re not on TOUR.
The Power/McDowell team also presents some upside this week. Seamus Power has a top-10 (2018) and top-5 (2019) in this event, and McDowell has a 13-6-2 record in team match play. Power had a solid start to the season, and McDowell finished 21st at RBC Heritage. Don’t be surprised if we see this team going from under-the-radar pre-tournament to competition on Sunday.
Cut rules
The purse was $7.0 million in 2016, with the winner’s share being $1.26 million. First prize reached five points in 1965 [4] and six in 1988, [5] and crossed the million-dollar mark in 2006. [6] The purse for 2021 was $7.4 million.
In 2017, the Zurich Classic became a team event with eighty teams of two. One member of each team is initially selected through a Tour priority ranking, and his or her partner must either be a PGA Tour member or gain entry through a sponsor exemption. The format of stroke play was alternate shot (foursome) in the first and third rounds and better ball (foreball) for the second and fourth rounds. The cut line is 33 teams, plus a tie. Winners earn 400 FedEx Cup points and a two-year exemption, but will not receive the Masters Invitational and no world ranking points will be awarded for the event.[7] In 2018, the format was foreball for the first and third rounds and foreball for the second and third rounds. Changed to alternate shot for the fourth round.
