Odds Outlook: Duo of Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele back for more success in The Big Easy

The Zurich Classic in New Orleans features the only team competition on the 2024 PGA TOUR schedule. For the seventh time in eight years, the suburb of Avondale and TPC Louisiana hosts 80 teams of two.

Playing for the fourth consecutive season, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele (+450), champions of the 2022 edition, will look to become the first duo to win this event twice. Already holding the record for Four-ball performance (59; Round 1, 2022), the U.S. teammates returned last year to tie the Foursomes record on 63. Partners in Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups, the familiarity produces annually in New Orleans, regardless of format. Entering the week, Cantlay picked up his best check of the season with T3 at the RBC Heritage, while Schauffele has posted top-10 paydays in eight of his last 11 on TOUR, highlighted by T2 at THE PLAYERS Championship, another Pete Dye track. The summer of 2022 was the last time these two won individually, and they kicked it off with a victory at TPC Louisiana.

Ryder Cup teammates and major champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (+750) will give it a go for the first time on the par-72 that can stretch to 7,425 yards. The neighbors from Jupiter, Florida, have had mixed results this year, but there’s nothing like a team game to get their games into gear. After winning and running second on the DP World Tour in January, the No. 2 player in the Official World Golf Rankings has only hit the top 10 once, solo third at Valero, in the last three months. Cashing T4 in Palm Beach Gardens, a solo third at Bay Hill, and T19 at TPC Sawgrass, Lowry raked the cash in his adopted state of Florida in late winter but was quiet the last two weeks.

Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris (+1000) are teaming up for the first time in the Big Easy, but each has had previous success here. Before missing last season through injury, Zalatoris teamed with Davis Riley to share fourth in the 2022 edition. Theegala, making his third start as well, missed the cut in 2022 with Beau Hossler but returned to taste weekend action with Justin Suh last year. The combination of Zalatoris consistently punishing fairways and greens melded with the slick putting skills of Theegala make for an excellent ham-and-egg twosome. A winner last fall at the Fortinet Championship, Theegala cashed second at Pete Dye’s Harbour Town Monday morning. Zalatoris has painted the top 10 three times in his last six starts, including a season-best T2 at The Genesis Invitational and his third consecutive top-10 payday at Augusta National.

Las Vegas residents Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama (+1400) join forces for the first time. Notorious tee-to-green assassins, the Californians will have plenty of looks for birdie or better. Morikawa, the two-time major champion, rolls into town on red-hot form but has played this event before with little success. Over the last three editions, despite teaming up with Viktor Hovland (T29) and Max Homa (MC), he has not sniffed a big finish. Kitayama, who ranks in the top 34 in SG: Off the Tee and Approach the Green, has found the weekend twice in two visits with two different teammates. Finding the good vibes for the flat sticks this week is a must!

In addition to countrymen, international teammates and neighbors, family ties bind Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick (+2500). During their maiden voyage together last April, the English duo sat five back of the 54-hole lead before a quiet 74 in Sunday Foursomes knocked them to T19. Picking up T23 in his first PGA TOUR start of 2024, the younger of the two continues an excellent run of play worldwide. In 10 starts since December, Alex has cashed seven times of T26 or better. The big brother has cashed T28 in eight of 12 worldwide, including solo fifth at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Here's a look at some of the other notable team odds for this week’s event, via BetMGM Sportsbook, including defending champs Nick Hardy and Davis Riley (+5000) who will look to become the first pair to go back-to-back:

• +2500: Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith, Tom Hoge and Maverick McNealy, Nicolai Højgaard and Rasmus Højgaard
• +3300: Brice Garnett and Sepp Straka
• +4000: Doug Ghim and Chan Kim, Keith Mitchell and Joel Dahmen, Taylor Moore and Matt NeSmith, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin
• +4500: Austin Eckroat and Chris Gotterup, Billy Horschel (2013 and 2018 winner) and Tyson Alexander, Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak
• +5000: Daniel Berger and Victor Perez, Thomas Detry and Robert MacIntyre, Beau Hossler and Sam Ryder, K.H. Lee and Michael Kim, Taylor Montgomery and Ben Griffin, Matt Wallace and Thorbjorn Olesen
• +6600: Dylan Wu and Justin Lower, Garrick Higgo and Ryan Fox, Luke List and Henrik Norlander, Chandler Phillips and Jacob Bridgeman, Andrew Putnam and Joe Highsmith, Aaron Rai and David Lipsky, Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid, Nico Echavarria and Max Greyserman, Nate Lashley and Rafael Campos, Greyson Sigg and Chesson Hadley, Kevin Yu and C.T. Pan
• +8000: Zach Johnson and Ryan Palmer (2019 winner), Thriston Lawrence and Aldrich Potgieter, Kevin Streelman and Martin Laird, Gary Woodland and Lee Hodges
• +9000: Mac Meissner and Austin Smotherman, Vincent Norrman and Jorge Campillo, Parker Coody and Pierceson Coody
• +10000: Kevin Tway and Kelly Kraft, Peter Malnati and Russell Knox, Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer, Justin Suh and Rico Hoey

How the Zurich Classic works:

• A field of 80 two-man teams will be cut to the top 33 teams and ties after 36 holes (one round of Best Ball (Four-ball) and one round of Alternate Shot (Foursomes)).
• The final two rounds will be Four-ball followed by Foursomes
• The purse of $8.9 million will pay first place $1,286,050 million to each winner.
• The winners also each receive 400 FedExCup points.

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