Zurich Classic of New Orleans 2022
Overview
Dates: April 21, 2022 to April 24, 2022
Location: Louisiana, USA
Course: TPC Louisiana
Course Par: 72
Course Length: 7,425 yards
Prize Purse: $8300000
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played in Avondale, Louisiana. Beginning 84 years ago in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly played in early to mid-spring. Zurich Insurance Group is the main sponsor, and it is organized by the Fore!Kids Foundation.
The purse was $7.0 million in 2016, with a winner’s share of $1.26 million. First prize reached five figures in 1965 and six figures in 1988, and passed the million-dollar mark in 2006. The purse for 2021 was $7.4 million.
In 2017, the Zurich Classic became a team event, with eighty teams of two. One member of each team is initially chosen via the Tour priority rankings, and his partner must either be a PGA Tour member or earn entry through a sponsor exemption. The stroke play format was alternate shot (foursome) in the first and third rounds and better ball (fourball) for the second and fourth rounds. The cut line is 33 teams, plus ties. The winners earn 400 FedEx Cup points and two-year exemptions, but will not receive Masters invitations and no world ranking points are awarded for the event. In 2018, the format switched to fourball for the first and third rounds and alternate shot for the second and fourth rounds.
Results
Not a great deal to say about last week’s event – as a format it just doesn’t interest me, and personally I don’t think it has a place on the main tour. It feels more like a fun weekend for the players, and I guess fans who like to see a ton of birdies will have felt satisfied. I barely even watched any of the action, save for a few holes on Sunday when it briefly looked as though our main selection (Burns/Horschel) might just make a late charge for glory. Sadly a wet tee shot at 16 put paid to that and we came up a couple short, having to make do with another frustrating near miss. We kept stakes to a minimum and a four-point loss on the week doesn’t make much difference to the overall picture for us.
Looking forward to normal business resuming this week with the Mexico Open, albeit at a brand new venue, so a bit of research into the Vidanta course is required over the next day or two.
Preview
After coming agonisingly close to a big-priced winner, but ultimately another profitable week for FG at the RBC Heritage, the tour moves on to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic – a team event with two better ball and two alternate shot rounds. This format makes the usual data analysis rather more challenging, but what’s notable is that the field is formed of a small number of obviously strong pairings and a host of players in not particularly great form, with not that many in between. For that reason, it makes some appeal for some fairly confident recommendations as it feels easy enough to whittle the field down. We’ll keep it short and sweet, just focusing on the outright market this week.
Outrights
| Player | Points | Type | UK Odds | Places | Outright US Odds |
| Sam Burns/Billy Horschel | 5 | EW | 12/1 | 7 | |
| Talor Gooch/Max Homa | 3 | EW | 25/1 | 7 | |
| Greyson Sigg/Sepp Straka | 1.5 | EW | 50/1 | 7 | |
| Austin Smotherman/Harry Higgs | 1 | EW | 150/1 | 7 |
The five pairings at the top of the market all have obvious chances based on world rankings alone, but whereas it’s possible to pick holes in the Hovland/Morikawa, Cantlay/Shauffele and Leishman/Smith combinations, it’s harder to see anything other than a good week for Sam Burns/Billy Horschel (5pts ew, 12/1, 7 places). Both players arrive in good form and I’ll be really surprised if they’re not pushing for a victory come Sunday evening.
Talor Gooch/Max Homa (3pts ew, 25/1, 7 places) appear to be a much more solid pairing than those around them in the market and are an automatic selection at the price on offer.
Looking further down the list, it’s hard to find opportunities at bigger prices, but I’m prepared to chance Greyson Sigg/Sepp Straka (1.5pts ew, 50/1, 7 places). Straka’s recent form is as good as any; while the same can’t be said for his playing partner, it’s worth noting that Sigg has quietly achieved positive SG numbers over the last six months, and has shown in the past that he’s capable of going low on a good day, which is an essential attribute in this format.
A more speculative and final recommendation is Austin Smotherman/Harry Higgs (1pt ew, 150/1, 7 places). Regular followers will know we have been keeping an eye on these two as up-and-comers on the tour who have the potential to pop up at big prices every now and then. More than anything, this is based on a gut feel that this pair could enjoy this format, and have rather more innate ability than some of the more established journeymen in this part of the market, so I’m happy to take a punt to small stakes.
Match Ups
None this week.
Other Recommendations
None this week.
Not a great deal to say about last week’s event – as a format it just doesn’t interest me, and personally I don’t think it has a place on the main tour. It feels more like a fun weekend for the players, and I guess fans who like to see a ton of birdies will have felt satisfied. I barely even watched any of the action, save for a few holes on Sunday when it briefly looked as though our main selection (Burns/Horschel) might just make a late charge for glory. Sadly a wet tee shot at 16 put paid to that and we came up a couple short, having to make do with another frustrating near miss. We kept stakes to a minimum and a four-point loss on the week doesn’t make much difference to the overall picture for us.
Looking forward to normal business resuming this week with the Mexico Open, albeit at a brand new venue, so a bit of research into the Vidanta course is required over the next day or two.