The Zurich Classic is New Orleans’ premier golf tournament and the only PGA TOUR event in the region. The tournament will be held on April 25 – 28, 2024. TPC Louisiana has hosted the Zurich Classic since 2005. TPC Louisiana missed hosting the event in 2006 during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. That year, many of the PGA TOUR professionals generously donated their earnings to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in the Louisiana area. The Zurich Classic was the first sporting event in the Louisiana region to be televised in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
During the 2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Zurich Insurance Group furthered its commitment to New Orleans when it announced its extension as the PGA TOUR event’s title sponsor through 2026.
Course: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana
Par: 72
Length: 7,425 yards
Prize purse: $8.9 million
Defending champion: Nick Hardy and Davis Riley (-30)
Outright Winner Picks:
Rasmus Hojgaard & Nicolai Hojgaard to win outright (+3500)
The Danish twins are trading as short as +1,800, so landing a considerably longer number at DraftKings caught my attention immediately. Additionally, with birdies at a premium in the team event, I value Rasmus ranking second in scoring average (69.6) and sixth in birdies per round (4.56) on the DP World Tour. Nicolai’s scoring ranks haven’t been as strong on the PGA Tour, but he’s also been in contention at the Farmers and for the majority of the Masters two weeks ago. Of course, Nicolai was a member of the winning European Ryder Cup team in September, too.
Keith Mitchell & Joel Dahmen to win outright (+4000)
There’s a lot of potential for this Mitchell-Dahmen pairing in their first time teaming up. Mitchell finished sixth last year with Sungjae Im and T4 in 2021 with Brandt Snedeker while Dahmen has also had success with three Top-25 showings alongside Denny McCarthy and Brandon Harkins in 2019. Mitchell and Dahmen also ace the ball-striking numbers with respective ranks of sixth and fourth in true strokes gained approach and fourth and fifth in true strokes gained tee-to-green in this field across their past 20 rounds. I'm also betting their Top 20 at +163.
Nick Taylor & Adam Hadwin to win outright (+4000)
The Canadien duo have the game to ham-and-egg their way through the four-ball rounds and put oodles of circles on the card, and they proved it with a solo second-place finish here last year. Additionally, Hadwin ranks eighth in birdie average (4.61) this season and Taylor isn’t too far behind at 32nd (4.22). There's also a notable gap in the available odds with bet365 listing the Taylor-Hadwin team at just +2,500.
Billy Horschel & Tyson Alexander to win outright (+5000)
An annual contender and two-time winner at TPC Louisiana, Horschel is partnering with his former University of Florida coach’s son. While Alexander hasn’t had nearly the same PGA Tour success, he's flashed in the past, including a solo second at the Houston Open in 2022. Still, Horschel is the real draw. He won the 2013 Zurich when it was still a solo event and he has five consecutive Top-15 finishes in the team format, including his 2018 win with Scott Piercy. Of course, Horschel is also coming off a win at the Corales Puntacana Championship for his fourth Top-15 finish in six events. I also like their Top 20 at +175.
Alex Smalley & Matti Schmid to win outright (+6500)
These two both played well in weaker fields and head to the Zurich following respective T6 and T11 finishes in the Corales Puntacana Championship. They both have solid track records and amateur pedigree, with Smalley a Walker Cup member in 2019 and Schmid winning the European Amateur in 2019 and 2020. Both will be playing TPC Louisiana competitively for the first time and there isn’t a string of strong showings or sterling statistics to excite. Still, the career-trajectory arrow is pointing straight up for Smalley and Schmid and this is an event ripe for a long-shot tandem to contend. I'm also taking their Top 20 at +188.
Top 10:
Collin Morikawa/Kurt Kitayama (+115):
Morikawa has gotten things figured out. Though Kitayama hasn’t lived up to the standards of his Arnold Palmer Invitational win presented by Mastercard last year, he’s playing consistent golf right now with a Top 40 in nine of his 10 starts in 2024.
Nicolai Højgaard/Rasmus Højgaard (+210):
One of three sets of brothers in the field this one brings firepower and winning gravitas from the DP World Tour. This is a preview for future Ryder Cups …
Corey Conners/Taylor Pendrith (+225):
Both of the Canadian pairings have a lot to like but I’ll lean Conners/Pendrith over Taylor/Hadwin.
Taylor Moore/Matthew NeSmith (+300):
An eye-catching price on a pair that finished T4 here each of the last two years and now has double the margin for error to still cash a placement bet.
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