Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – Zurich Classic of New Orleans

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans Fantasy Sleeper Report

Such is the flux and the fluctuating fortunes of the professional golfer, Justin Thomas celebrated his 16th PGA TOUR title like it was his first.

Having taken down Andrew Novak in the first hole of a playoff, Thomas punched the air and bellowed a cry of sheer joy – remember, this is a guy who has won majors and scores of big titles before.

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But it means more, you sense, when a player hasn’t won for nigh-on three years. They’ve no doubt overcome crippling doubt as to whether they’ll ever get their hands on meaningful silverware again.

The RBC Heritage is meaningful, alright, with its Signature Event purse. And for Thomas, it was a first win since the birth of daughter Molly in November. If he continues to putt this well, Molly will no doubt have more opportunities to see daddy triumph on the PGA TOUR.

Speaking of meaning, we head to TPC Louisiana for the Zurich Classic this week. On paper, this appears to be something of a jolly – a chance for players to buddy up with a friend on TOUR in a rare shot at pairs golf.

But watch the interviews back from this event in years gone by. The players are desperate to win the Zurich Classic – for themselves, or their partner, and in a Ryder Cup year the tournament takes on greater significance… a few referenced how the Zurich was so important to them last year with the Presidents Cup on the horizon.

You could feel the emotion when Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won this event 12 months ago. McIlroy was desperate to help his old buddy to a rare PGA TOUR title, while Lowry himself alluded to the idea that he didn’t want to mess up his playing partner’s chances – motivation to play stellar golf.

The best players generally fare very nicely at TPC Louisiana, which is perhaps not surprising given that this is a technical assignment designed by Pete Dye; rather than being a straightforward birdie fest. 

McIlroy and Lowry, Cantlay and Schauffele, Cam Smith and Marc Leishman, Jon Rahm and four-time PGA TOUR winner Ryan Palmer, Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, Sam Burns and Billy Horschel… all have won or finished second in the Zurich Classic. That shows that the best are able to leverage their skillset at TPC Louisiana. 

Mind you, it would have been an upset for the ages had Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer – 130/1 with the sportsbooks before the off – beaten McIlroy and Lowry in a playoff, which was the culmination of the 2024 edition.

They didn’t, of course, having made bogey while the Irish duo grinded out par, but it just shows that the Zurich Classic has a little juice in it for longshot backers, too.

So, in that spirit, who makes our sleeper shortlist for the 2025 Zurich Classic?

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Jhonattan Vegas & Kevin Yu – 50/1 – Neither Jhonattan Vegas nor Kevin Yu played in either of the PGA TOUR events last week, so they will head to New Orleans well rested and ready to go.

Both have won on the PGA TOUR within the past year, which puts them in exclusive company in this field, and while Vegas’ form hasn’t been great in recent times, this is the exact sort of event in which that formbook can be thrown out of the window.

As for Yu, this is a young player with outstanding ball striking talent. His short game can pop, but the presence of Vegas in the alternate shot format – if he can find something on the greens – could be crucial.

Rico Hoey & Sam Ryder – 50/1 – The format of the Zurich Classic sees 36 holes of four-balls golf, where the best score of the pair counts, while the other 36 holes are alternate shot, which is exactly as the name suggests.

All of which means that Rico Hoey, an excellent ball-striker, will have Sam Ryder, one of the best putters on the PGA TOUR right now, putting for him on 18 holes.

Such fine margins could make all the difference, as Hoey has shaped as a potential PGA TOUR winner – he has three finishes of T6 or better since the start of last season. Ryder, meanwhile, is outstanding with flatstick in hand but lacks the long, straight-shooting quality of somebody like his partner this week.

It could be a match made in heaven, both for them and for bettors that back them.

Cam Davis & Adam Svensson – 60/1 – There were good strides made forward by Cam Davis and Adam Svensson last week in their respective outings, and their status as former PGA TOUR winners also adds extra intrigue for this pairing.

Davis finished T13 at the RBC Heritage, where his short game was in particularly good nick. Svensson, meanwhile, was T24 at the Corales Puntacana, but ranked fourth for GIR and 16th for Driving Accuracy – suggesting that he had a good week with his long game.

It’s a contrast of styles that could mesh very nicely in the alternate shot format…

Nate Lashley & Hayden Springer – 66/1 – There’s no doubt that Hayden Springer has a lot of talent, but he’s been unable to harness it on a consistent basis – particularly off the tee, where he remains somewhat reckless.

He may have found the ideal partner in Nate Lashley then, who is more of a straight shooter than his comrade this week.

Springer makes stacks of birdies – and plenty of mistakes too, while Lashley, as he showed when finishing T12 at the Texas Open a couple of weeks ago, has a lot of quality to fall back on when his game is in good order. 

Chad Ramey & Justin Lower – 80/1 – With no offence intended to Martin Trainer, Chad Ramey – last year’s runner-up at the Zurich – has upgraded by bringing Justin Lower on board as partner.

You may recall Lower’s heater at the end of 2024 and into this year, where he served up a trio of top-five finishes on the PGA TOUR in just five starts. His strong approach play and putting in particular were the factors behind that run.

Ramey, meanwhile, continues to do his thing. He’s a solid fairways-and-greens guy, who followed T5 at the Texas Open with ranking fourth for GIR at the Corales Puntacana last week.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans here.

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2024-2025)

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