The PGA TOUR heads to Louisiana this week for the lone team event on the calendar, the Zurich Classic. There will be 80 teams of two golfers, where the top-33 teams and ties will make the 36-hole cut. Scoring will also be different this week, as the first and third rounds will feature four-ball (best ball) scoring, while the second and final rounds will be alternate shot. TPC Louisiana will be the host course and measures as a 7,425-yard par 72 with Poa Trivialis overseeded greens.
While there are plenty of good golfers in the field this week, the number of elite teams you’ll find you can probably count on one hand. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are the current betting favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook at +360, while the teams of Collin Morikawa/Kurt Kitayama (+1400), J.T. Poston/Keith Mitchell (+1600) and Thomas Detry/Robert Macintyre (+1800) round out the top of the board.
Below I have outlined my two favorite bets for the week.
Sepp Straka/Brice Garnett to win (+3500)
The number on Straka/Garnett here is extremely disrespectful. Straka has been one of the most consistent golfers on the PGA TOUR this season, posting eight top-15 finishes in 12 starts, including two top 10s and a win at the American Express. The big Austrian has arguably been the best ball-striker on the PGA TOUR this season as well, ranking No. 1 in this field in SG: Approach across his past 48, 36, 24, 16, 12, eight and four rounds.
As for Garnett, it’s been a bit more of a struggle, but he’s still coming into play having made eight of his past 11 cuts. We are also not too far removed from Garnett winning the 2024 Puerto Rico Open, so I have little concerns about him holding his own this week.
In addition, these two each played this event last season and both finished T11, although Garnett played with Kelly Kraft and Straka played with Kevin Tway. The fact remains that Straka is being seriously undervalued by the market in this spot, and the clear sentiment is that Garnett will drag him down rather than the latter occurring, where Straka would elevate the play of his teammate.
Outside of Rory McIlroy, nobody priced shorter than Straka this week has a PGA TOUR victory in 2025, so I will gladly take my chances that he finds his way into contention at 35/1.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout/Erik Van Rooyen to win (+5500)
There have been some odd pairings that have won this event in the past, but I believe this South-African duo complements each other quite nicely. Van Rooyen is one of the longest hitters in this field, ranking 10th in driving distance over the past 48 rounds, while his compatriot, Bezuidenhout, ranks sixth in the field in SG: Putting over the same time frame.
This can be an invaluable combination during alternate shot, because what each golfer lacks in one area the other makes up for in spades. EVR is not a good putter, while Bez is one of the worst off-the-tee players on the PGA TOUR right now. However, when you combine the two skillsets, it’s almost like getting one super charged golfer. Obviously there are other pairings in this field with similar skillsets at shorter prices, but in an event like this that can feature a ton of variance, getting 55/1 here is quite nice.
Normally we can count on Bezuidenhout to gain with his irons, but he’s taken a big step back in that department this season. Even with that being the case, both he and Van Rooyen have flashed ceilings this year, as the former finished T4 at the WMPO back in February, while EVR posted a T9 recently at the Cognizant Classic. In addition, the’ve both played this event before and have failed to miss a cut in three combined trips.
You can do way worse at these odds.