Zurich Classic of New Orleans – What to Watch

The love/hate tournament of the PGA Tour comes to us this week in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. If you love team golf then this is your tournament to watch, if you hate team golf then it’s best to just stick with the NHL playoffs and some Talladega Superspeedway NASCAR racing.

Jason Dufner plays his shot from the 17th tee during the final round…

Jason Dufner plays his shot from the 17th tee during the final round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 29, 2018 in Avondale, Louisiana. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Thankfully by the time this tournament is over on Thursday and Friday I can jump right into NHL viewership and “fanboy” mode even though my Penguins got obliterated by the Isles in the first round. It’s the Stanley Cup playoffs though, there’s no better playoffs than that (sorry PGA Tour). Enough sidetracking though, let’s dive in and talk about which teams to watch this week and what to expect on TPC Louisiana.

I am one of those that likes the change-up we get from the PGA Tour with this format except for the alternate shot format in the final round. I’d like to see best ball on Thursday and Sunday with the alternate shot taking place in the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds, but that decision is for people who get paid way more money than I do.

My favorite Floridian, Billy-Ho, will look to defend the Zurich Classic alongside his partner-in-crime, Scott Piercy. What they did throughout the tournament, and especially the final round in 2018 must give them a lot of confidence coming into the week. The way these two likes to compete, they won’t lay down lightly.

Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy pose with the trophy and commerative…

Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy pose with the trophy and commerative belts during the final round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 29, 2018 in Avondale, Louisiana. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

We also have some new pairings this year to keep an eye on. Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia will hope their Ryder Cup success will take them to the top of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon.

Jon Rahm is in the field this week and he’ll be playing with Ryan Palmer; both are big hitters, but Rahm will give this duo a touch around the greens to possibly catapult them to the top. We also have an Aussie pairing in Adam Scott and Jason Day, both big hitters who will try to make this 7,400-yard course look small.

Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown line up a putt on the 11th hole during…

Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown line up a putt on the 11th hole during the final round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 29, 2018 in Avondale, Louisiana. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

A pair that has been together the last couple of years is the Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown team. They’ve knocked on the door of victory the last two outings as they lost in a playoff in 2017 and they had the 54-hole lead in 2018 before a colossal collapse in the final round. Kisner comes in hot and these two as a pair are hard to count out in this tournament.

TPC Louisiana is easy to get around if you don’t look at the strategically placed bunkers on 17 of the 18 holes. The one hole without sand in play is the 9^th, but a pulled tee ball will result in wetness with the water hazard playing the length of the hole.

Each par-3 can play more than 200 yards depending on the pin placement and the par-5s also play long (for PGA Tour standards), none of which should play fewer than 530 yards. Holes 4, 6, 12, and 15 are all long par-4s meaning precision and FIRs will be vital to any team’s success this week. Rest assured though, there will be plenty of birdies this week.

Tony Finau reacts to his putt on the 11th hole during the final round…

Tony Finau reacts to his putt on the 11th hole during the final round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 29, 2018 in Avondale, Louisiana. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

So now we get to the point of who to pick to win this week.

Patrick Cantlay gave me a little confidence with his showing last week, so the depression level has come down a notch! Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown are at the top of my list this week solely because of the way Kisner has been playing for the last month.

If Kisner can stay hot with Scott Brown contributing when absolutely needed, this team will be difficult to beat. It’s time to put the Zurich Classic of New Orleans demons to rest.

I’m also going to be keeping an eye on the Jonas Blixt-Cameron Smith duo since they won this event in 2017. Cam Smith hasn’t had the best form this year, but this type of event can easily right the ship since it’s not completely a solo effort.

A sleeper pairing (if you can call it that) I’ll be watching is the team of Tony Finau-Kyle Stanley. We all know what Finau is capable of off the tee, so this duo should be a good watch as well. Will this pair break through for a win? I’m not counting on it, but crazier things have happened.

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