After The Masters and RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour moves to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, one of the few pairs competitions on the circuit.
Last year, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry claimed victory in a playoff, with the duo only deciding to play the tournament following a "drunken lunch" after Europe's Ryder Cup victory in 2023.
The event became a pairs format in 2017 and, since then, the likes of Cameron Smith, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, McIlroy and Lowry have been among the big name winners.
In terms of format, the tournament works using both Fourballs and Foursomes. The first and third rounds will be Fourballs, while the second and final rounds will be Foursomes.
Following his Masters victory, which also secured him the career Grand Slam, there had been questions as to whether McIlroy would return to New Orleans, but the five-time Major winner will be present at TPC Louisiana.
Zurich Classic Of New Orleans Course Guide: TPC Louisiana
Opened in the mid-2000s, TPC Louisiana is one of the many TPC courses around the world and was designed by legendary course designer, Pete Dye.
Having hosted multiple tournaments, the course measures 7,425 yards and is a par 72, with TPC Louisiana featuring four par 3s, 10 par 4s and four par 5s.
In terms of what to look out for, the layout features long par 4s and par 5s which puts an imperative on tee shots and long-to-mid irons. However, with this being a pairs tournament, recent form may be more of a factor than course form, as players look to secure the victory and the team prize of $2,658,800.
When it comes to the signature hole, that would be the par 5 18th, which measures 585 yards and features water along the entire right side. It's a demanding finishing hole and has played its part in the outcome of the event on multiple occasions.
Last year, the hardest hole was the par 3 17th which, although is the second shortest at TPC Louisiana, averaged +0.178. In fact, the 17th was just one of four holes that played over-par in last year's tournament.
Zurich Classic Of New Orleans Previous Winners
Zurich Classic Of New Orleans Betting Odds
Outright winner odds from BetMGM (odds correct at time of publishing)
- Rory McIlroy/Shane Lowry (+350)
- Kurt Kitayama/Collin Morikawa (+1200)
- Wyndham Clark/Taylor Moore (+1800)
- Tom Hoge/Billy Horschel (+1800)
- Thomas Detry/Robert MacIntyre (+2000)
- Keith Mitchell/J.T. Poston (+2000)
- Sahith Theegala/Aaron Rai (+2000)
- Ben Griffin/Andrew Novak (+2500)
- Nico Echavarria/Max Greyserman (+3300)
- Brice Garnett/Sepp Straka (+3300)
- Nicolai Hojgaard/Rasmus Hojgaard (+3300)
- Thorbjorn Olesen/Matt Wallace (+3300)
- All other pairs are priced at +4000 or higher
Zurich Classic Of New Orleans Betting Picks
Favorites: Max Greyserman & Nico Echavarria (+3300)
This pair are two of the brightest up-and-comers on the PGA Tour and they will have good memories of last year where they finished T4th.
Both men made the cut at The Masters and have been featuring near the top of leaderboards over the last 12 months, with Echavarria winning the Zozo Championship. In a field that is dominated by McIlroy and Lowry, these two are a good value option to contend for victory.
Outsiders: Ryo Hisatsune & Takumi Kanaya (+6600)
For my outside pick, I am going to go with the all-Japanese pairing of Ryo Hisatsune and Takumi Kanaya. Hisatsune may well be the next world class Japanese male golfer, having finished inside the top-five on the PGA Tour twice already this year after earning his card via the DP World Tour in 2023 following victory at the French Open.
Kanaya is somewhat of a veteran now after ranking as the World No.1 amateur for 55 weeks before joining the paid ranks in 2020. He has seven Japan Golf Tour titles and an International Series win, so this is a pairing that could surprise some people this week.
Favorites: Sahith Theegala & Aaron Rai (+2000)
The duo sit at 27th and 28th in the world, respectively, with both Theegala and Rai offering good value when it comes to the favorite market.
To begin with, both are extremely consistent performers, with just three missed cuts coming in a combined 22 events. What's more, Theegala already has one victory in a pairs event, the 2022 QBE Shootout, while both men should suit TPC Louisiana, with Rai finishing in a share of 23rd, alongside David Lipsky, in this event last year.
Outsiders: Jeremy Paul & Yannik Paul (+8000)
The twin brothers will join the likes of Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard this week, with both Jeremy and Yannik showing some excellent form coming into New Orleans.
At their last events, Jeremy registered a T2 at the Corales Puntacana Championship, while Yannik finished solo third at the Volvo China Open. Yannik has targeted a PGA Tour card in 2025 and, with a victory alongside his twin brother, that would certainly create one of the feel good stories of the season.
Favorites: Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry (+350)
In my mind, there is just no way that these two don't win the tournament if they play anywhere near their best, and they're both in really good form as it is. McIlroy is fresh off the back of his win at The Masters, and will hopefully come out swinging freely, while Lowry - aside from a disappointing Masters - has been consistently high up on leaderboards with five top-20s in his past six starts.
We already know they excel in the format and at this course, so while the short price with bookmakers is kind of a risk, given the characteristics of live sport, I'd still take the Ryder Cup duo over anyone else.
Outsiders: Jacob Bridgeman & Chandler Phillips (+5000)
These two produced some really tidy golf last year to finish T19th with nothing much to shout about, individually, in the build-up.
A good run of top-20s between them, and some encouraging data in relation to both of their all-round games, gives me confidence they can improve on 2024 and perhaps sneak a top-10 while all the focus is on McIlroy and Lowry. In a field where so many teams have at least one player in poor form, this week could present a great opportunity for the American pair.
How To Watch The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
US/ET
- Thursday 24th April: 7.30am - 3.00pm (PGA Tour Live/ESPN+), 3.00 - 6.00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
- Friday 25th April: 7.30am - 3.00pm (PGA Tour Live/ESPN+), 3.00 - 6.00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
- Saturday 26th April: 9.00am - 1.00pm (PGA Tour Live/ESPN+), 1.00 - 3.00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 3.00 - 6.00pm (CBS)
- Sunday 27th April: 10.30am - 1.00pm (PGA Tour Live/ESPN+), 1.00 - 3.00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 3.00 - 6.00pm (CBS)
UK/BST
- Thursday 24th April: 12.30 - 4.00pm & 8.00 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Friday 25th April: 1.35 - 4.00pm & 8.00 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Saturday 26th April: 2.00 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Sunday 27th April: 3.30 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
