We’re doing things a little differently this week. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is in its fifth installment as a team event, with 80 two-man squads heading down to TPC Louisiana this week. Instead of the usually top-25, we will narrow it down to the top-10 at what should be a fun event.
It’s hard to argue against Team Horschel/Burns with how well both are playing in stroke-play and how Horschel does in team events. Both are hitting their irons well coming into the Zurich, and Horschel has been stellar in team events, finishing T4 last year (with Burns), T13 (2019) with Scott Piercy and runner-up at last year’s QBE Shootout with Sam Burns.
Team Varner III/Watson is inside the top-10 in odds but won’t make it inside the top-10 in rankings. HV3 is playing great, but he’s missed the cut here four times as a teammate. We should be more interested in the Riley/Zalatoris team, who present more upside this week. They have zero combined wins on TOUR, but this young duo has been competing against each other since their junior golf days and still do at their home courses in Dallas when they’re not on TOUR.
The Power/McDowell team also presents some upside this week. Seamus Power has a top-10 (2018) and a top-5 (2019) in this event, and McDowell has a 13-6–2 record in team match play. Power had a solid start to the season, and McDowell just finished 21st at the RBC Heritage. Don’t be surprised if we see this team go from under-the-radar pre-tournament to being in contention on Sunday.
Chris Kirk and Brendon Todd could make a splash this week with how well their games match. As the preview article mentions, Kirk has gained strokes off the tee and through approach in six-straight events, with two top-7 finishes in his previous four events. Todd has gained over four strokes putting in four of his last 10 events, which could translate to a lot of scoring opportunities in both formats.
PGA TOUR Power Rankings
| RANK | GOLFER | PRE-TOURNAMENT ODDS |
|---|---|---|
| RANK | GOLFER | PRE-TOURNAMENT ODDS |
| 1 | Hovland/Morikawa | +650 |
| 2 | Cantlay/Schauffele | +800 |
| 3 | Burns/Horschel | +1200 |
| 4 | Palmer/Scheffler | +900 |
| 5 | Leishman/Smith | +1000 |
| 6 | Riley/Zalatoris | +3000 |
| 7 | Fleetwood/Garica | +1600 |
| 8 | Niemann/Pereira | +2500 |
| 9 | Power/McDowell | +4500 |
| 10 | Kirk/Todd | +5000 |
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
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