Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for the 2014 Zurich Classic

Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for the 2014 Zurich Classic April 24th – 27th, 2014

Tournament Preview

This week the PGA TOUR heads to Louisiana for the latest edition of the Zurich Classic. Billy Horschel hasn’t made too much noise this year, but he’s certainly geared up to defend his title.

On my way to @Zurich_Classic to defend my title. Excited to be back in one of my favorite places. Going to be a great week! #defendNOLA

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) April 21, 2014

The Zurich has been known to produce big breakthrough victories from “no-namers” with six of the last nine winners of this event earning their first PGA TOUR win. Like Horschel last year and Dufner in 2012, many new faces will be in the field this week hoping to hoist the tournament trophy for the first time. But winning won’t be a walk in the park, as big names like Fowler, Rose, and Bradley will also be in attendance to try and add to their impressive resumes.

The Field

Patrick Reed, who was recently bumped to No.4 in the FedExCup standings thanks to Matt Kuchar, will be in the field this week along with seven other 2014 PGA TOUR winners. Justin Rose (No.11 in the world rankings) has the highest world ranking in the field this week, but we all know that doesn’t mean much nowadays when it comes to predicting a single tournament win. Overall it’s a thin field this week with most players resting up and recharging in the coming weeks before the Players Championship kicks off in May.

The Course

TPC Louisiana measures in at 7,399 yards and plays as a par 72. The course was built on the outset of western New Orleans and is a true test for any skill level. This 2004 Pete Dye design is carved into roughly 250 acres of Louisiana wetlands along the Mississippi River and presents a lot of danger, including over 100 bunkers and several large waste bunker areas along the first six holes of the back nine. This event was relocated to TPC Louisiana back in 2005 and in each of the past two years; it’s ranked as the sixth-easiest layout among PGA TOUR locations.

Photo via TPC.com

Weather Forecast at TPC Louisiana (from weather.com)

• Round 1: Thursday (April 24) 79 degrees, 10% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
• Round 2: Friday (April 25) 80 degrees, 10% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
• Round 3: Saturday (April 26) 80 degrees,  10% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
• Round 4: Sunday (April 27) 80 degrees, 10% chance of rain, isolated T-storms.

2013 Results

In 2013 Billy Horschel patiently played and waited through two final-round weather delays to eventually win his first PGA TOUR event. The young talent narrowly escaped and even longer wait by draining a 27-foot birdie putt at No.18 to win outright by just one stroke over D.A. Points. After climbing back from a 2-shot deficit to start the day, Horschel knocked down six consecutive birdies (making eight birdies in all) to card a fantastic 8-under-par 64, matching the course record. Billy’s total of 20-under 268 was the lowest recorded 4 day tournament score at TPC Louisiana.

Horschel wins the Zurich Classic of New Orleans

In the final round of the 2013 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Billy Horschel shoots a 64 to claim his first win on the PGA TOUR. . SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR.

Fantasy Notes

As we mentioned in our tournament recap, our fantasy picks are now up to $20.48 million dollars in total winnings year to date (16 tournaments), with a total of five winners picked (two in a row!) and an average of $1.28 million in winnings per week. Combine that with a 91% cuts made ratio and our Premium Members are well on their way to yet again, dominate their fantasy leagues!  The question now is, can we make it three winners picked in a row?  We think so!

Media

• Television Broadcasts
  • Thursday-Friday, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel).
  • Saturday-Sunday, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (GC), 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. (CBS)
• Radio Broadcasts
  • Thursday- Sunday, noon – 6:00 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).
• Mobile Broadcasts
  • Simultaneous coverage on the Golf Live Extra mobile app by Golf Channel.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win The 2014 Zurich Classic

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 Zurich Classic

• Rickie Fowler (Golficity Odds 18/1): Looks like the Butch Harmon lessons have been paying dividends for Fowler this season.  Although winless this season, Rickie has posted some solid showings over the last couple of months, including three top-6 finishes including a T5 at Augusta. Keep in mind that Rickie is 3-for-3 at TPC Louisiana and he picked up a T10 here in 2012. And that was BEFORE Butch Harmon got a hold of him. Look out for big things from Rickie as we move into the heart of the season.
• Ryan Palmer (Golficity Odds 25/1): We totally agree with most Vegas lines here, which is why he’s solidly our second pick this week. We’re also not discounting the fact that Palmer had a hip injury not to long ago, but his ability to bounce back nicely at the VTO with a T7 shows he’s feeling well again. Don’t overlook the fact that Palmer shares the course record for best score in a round (64), and if you need a new horse to bet on this week, go with Palmer.
• Matt Every (Golficity Odds 30/1): Every snagged a T12 at Harbour Town last week, narrowly adding to his resume of seven top-15s in his last thirteen starts. He already has a win on TOUR this year with his breakthrough victory at Bay Hill just a few weeks back. We’ve seen a few multiple winners on TOUR this season and Matt Every joining that list certainly wouldn’t surprise us.
• Russell Knox (Golficity Odds 35/1):  We leaned a bit towards putting Patrick Reed in the number four spot this week but we can’t quite overlook how his stock has dipped a bit lately. Knox shares the course record here with Palmer (64) and is coming off of a T9 in his first appearance at Harbour Town. Russell has also put together a nice string of cuts made lately which even included two top 10s. If you follow us closely you know we rarely agree with Vegas, but they have him at a 33/1 so we’re right in line with them on this one as well.
• Justin Rose (Golficity Odds 38/1): You may look at this one and scratch your head. Rose is a clear favorite this week and is the highest world ranked golfer in the field. Even Vegas labeled a 12/1 here (see what we mean), but regardless we’re not overly bullish on Rose’s game, and he clearly hasn’t made much noise this year. The two top 15s in his has three starts (not his world ranking) is what has us favoring him over Keegan Bradley this week.

Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 Zurich Classic

• Kevin Stadler (Golficity Odds 50/1): Hard not picking our guy Charlie Hoffman in our top Sleeper spot but Stadler has been playing undeniably well. Coming off a T8 in his Masters debut two weeks ago, the big guy can surely compete. He came in with a T8 at  TPC Louisiana last year and currently  ranks 20th in GIR. It’s a long shot but he stands a chance to make some moves in this less-intense field.

• J.B. Holmes (Golficity Odds 50/1): J.B. is a pure long-shot, but we’re picking him in the last slot because he knows the course so well. Holmes has been climbing leaderboards as of late and has Top 20s in three of his last four starts. He finished T13 here in 2012 but took some time off after to recover from injury. It has to be said though that if you need just one sleeper this week, pick Stadler over Holmes.

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Last Week’s Results:  Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 RBC Heritage

• Jordan Spieth(Golficity Odds 14/1): T12 ($112,200)
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 18/1): WINNER ($1,044,000)
• Jim Furyk (Golficity Odds 25/1): T7 ($187,050)
• Luke Donald (Golficity Odds 28/1): 2^nd ($626,400)
• Kevin Stadler (Golficity Odds 38/1): T38 ($23,300)

Last Week’s Results: Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 RBC Heritage

• Charlie Hoffman (Golficity Odds 50/1): T38 ($23,300)
• Graeme McDowell (Golficity Odds 50/1): T23 ($55,680)

Fantasy Golf Predictions Stats: Season to Date

• Total Fantasy Dollars: $20,485,765 (Average tournament winnings of $1,280,360).
• Winners picked: 5 winners selected out of 16 tournaments (31.25% winners picked in 2014).
• Top 10s: 43 out of 112 players picked (38.39% of players picked finished in Top 10).
• Top 3s: 14 out of 112 players picked (12.50% players picked finished in the Top 3).
• Missed Cuts: Only 11 out of 112 players (90.178% of the picks made the cut in 2014).
• Major Winners Picked: 1 out of 1 (100%)

What are your fantasy picks and predictions for this week’s 2014 Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana? Let us know by leaving your comments below.

(Cover Photo Credit) (Top Photo Credit)