DraftKings preview: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

The PGA TOUR heads to Avondale, Louisiana, this week for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. TPC Lousiana will be the host course and measures as a 7,425-yard par 72 with Poa Trivialis overseeded greens.

This is the lone team event on the PGA TOUR schedule and will consist of 80 two-man teams (160 players). There will be a standard 36-hole cut this week, except it will be only the top 33 teams and ties moving on to the weekend.

The scoring format is a bit different this week as well, as the first and third rounds will feature a Four-ball (Best Ball) scoring, while the second and fourth rounds will be Foursomes (Alternate Shot). Overall, the field is strong, as event regulars Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will be teaming up again, while world No. 2 Rory McIlroy will also be in attendance with his teammate Shane Lowry.

Below, I have outlined three of my favorite DraftKings plays for the week.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $600K Pitch + Putt [$150K to 1st]

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele ($11,200)

The obvious favorites, Cantlay and Schauffele, have been teaming up at this event since 2021. Their record speaks for itself here, as they’ve yet to finish worse than 11th in three starts at TPC Louisiana while winning this event in 2022 and finishing T4 last year.

Schauffele has been dominating this season, posting seven top-10s in 10 starts, while Cantlay has started the season somewhat flat. However, last week was a good week for both at the RBC Heritage, as Cantlay finished T3, while Schauffele posted a T18.

While there is a bit of variance to this event, at worst this Cantlay/Schauffele duo consists of two of the five best players in the entire field. When on their game, neither has any real weakness, while their team chemistry is clear. This pairing is a no-brainer pay-up option on a slate full of unknowns.

Andrew Novak and Davis Thompson ($8,100)

This is a sneaky good team that might slip under the radar this week. Both of these guys have been playing really strong golf this season, with Thompson ranking 22nd in the field in SG: Tee-to-Green over the past 24 rounds, and Novak sitting third in the same timeframe.

They missed the cut here last year, but it’s clear both have taken a bit of a leap in 2024. Thompson has already posted five top-25 finishes in 11 starts, while Novak has three top-10s on the year, including six made cuts over his past seven starts.

If you pair this duo with the Cantlay/Schauffele team, you’re still left with over $7,600 per team for the rest of your roster, which is more than reasonable. I am fully expecting a made cut at the minimum here with the way both Thompson and Novak have been playing of late.

Dylan Wu and Justin Lower ($7,400)

This will be the third time Wu and Lower have teamed up, and while they missed the cut here last year, they posted a T10 back in 2022. They both enter play this year in good form, as Lower is coming off a T4 in Punta Cana last week, while Wu has made five of his past six cuts, with three top-26 finishes in that stretch.

Wu and Lower make for a compelling team because of the way their skill sets complement each other. Wu is the superior ball-striker while Lower is an elite putter. This will come in handy during the alternate-shot rounds, where they can set it up so Lower is the one making most of the putts, especially on the par 3s.

When you factor in the recent form of both, and the upside they flashed at this course two years ago, this $7,400 price is a really nice value for this twosome.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $600K Pitch + Putt [$150K to 1st]

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.