Power Rankings: Zurich Classic of New Orleans
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From a two-tournament week to a two-man tournament. That’s the transition to this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Numerous golfers from both the Corales Puntacana Championship and the RBC Heritage have reunited to form 80 partnerships at TPC Louisiana south of New Orleans. An explanation of the format, a review of the course, what’s at stake, an early look at the weather and more details are below.
| 10 | Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith | First-time pairing of the Canadians in this tournament. Conners hasn’t appeared in five years while Pendrith checked up at T13 last year. Pendrith also is fresh off having a shot at his breakthrough title at Corales Puntacana before settling for a T11. |
| 9 | Taylor Moore and Matt NeSmith | This is the third straight edition in which the 30-year-old former opponents in the SEC have partnered. They placed T4 in each of the first two. NeSmith (South Carolina) hasn’t had a top 10 since last year’s, while Moore (Arkansas) has been electric. |
| 8 | Nicolai Højgaard and Rasmus Højgaard | The 23-year-old brothers from Denmark form a first-time union in this tournament, but neither is a debutant. Individually, each is dynamic as a threat, so it stands to reason that the sum of their parts will lift them into contention. |
| 7 | Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick | The brothers debuted with a T19 last year but they were T7 after three rounds. Since, Alex has risen 563 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking (to 147th) with strong play on multiple tours. Matt is, well, Matt – consistently strong over time. |
| 6 | Tom Hoge and Maverick McNealy | McNealy has regained a groove since his injury but Hoge is still a great get for the non-winner. The older of the tandem is in form, has a pair of top 15s in this format and he partnered with Sahith Theegala to win the QBE Shootout in 2022. |
| 5 | Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama | The Las Vegas-area residents have competed against each other in this event but this is their first partnership. Morikawa is back in form with a T3 at the Masters and a solo ninth at the RBC Heritage. Kitayama has been steadier than ever. |
| 4 | Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry | This is a rare debut for McIlroy, who is looking to connect with some momentum in a season during which he’s posted only one top 15 (third, Valero Texas Open). Lowry finished 13th here in 2022 and recently went T4-3rd-T19 on the Florida Swing. |
| 3 | Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin | The Canucks teamed up for the first time last year and finished second with a field-low 63 in alternate shot in the final round. More recently, since Taylor rose to victory at the WM Phoenix Open, Hadwin has recorded a pair of top-five finishes. |
| 2 | Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris | These two are shelving their advertising roles as gunslingers in favor of an alliance … for one week. Zalatoris debuted with a T4 in 2022 but missed last year’s return to recover from back surgery. Theegala just finished second at the RBC Heritage. |
| 1 | Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele | Finished T4 in defense of their title here last year, but they remain the duo to beat. They check all of the boxes. From their past success in the tournament, sparkling form upon arrival and their friendship, they’re the dream team. |
OTHER TEAMS CONSIDERED
- Doug Ghim and Chan Kim
- Luke List and Henrik Norlander
- Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak
- Thomas Detry and Robert MacIntyre
- Parker Coody and Pierceson Coody
Since the first edition of the Zurich Classic as a team competition in 2017, a common curiosity has been how the two-man collaborations are formed. While PGA TOUR membership status plays a role in the field construct to a certain extent, not all teams are as simply understood as the three pairs of brothers who have joined forces this week – Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick, Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard and TOUR rookies Parker and Pierceson Coody. The last two pairs are twins, too.
Fan interest in the relationships always varies wildly, and that’s always part of the fun, but one of the more fascinating storylines is the connection between 2022-23 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Eric Cole and one-time PGA TOUR winner Russ Cochran. The 65-year-old lefty is making his 600th career PGA TOUR start and first in 11 years. Cochran’s son, Reed, is Cole’s caddie, so it’ll be a family affair for the milestone.
Official World Golf Ranking points are not distributed for this tournament but the start does not contribute to divisors, so it’s a free play. Meanwhile, each member of the winning team will receive 400 FedExCup points (i.e., the average between 500 and 300 reserved for first and second place, respectively). He’s also credited with an official PGA TOUR victory that will yield exemptions into next month’s PGA Championship and the 2025 editions of The Sentry and THE PLAYERS Championship. Each also will be exempt as a TOUR member in the winners category through 2026.
To prevail, the winning team will navigate the first and third rounds of better ball and the second and final rounds of alternate shot. The 36-hole cut will be low 33 teams and ties.
TPC Louisiana is unchanged as it concerns distance and turf conditions. It’s a stock par 72 that tips at 7,425 yards. Overseeded Bermudagrass greens can reach 12½ feet on the Stimpmeter, while the only layer of rough is not overseeded and trimmed to 2 inches.
Favorable weather throughout is expected, thus TPC Louisiana should present its best self. Perfect conditions on Thursday should give at least one team a reasonable look at the tournament record of 59 with which Cantlay and Schauffele opened their wire-to-wire victory in 2022. Winds will freshen on Friday and remain moderate in their push from the south for the remainder. Daytime temperatures will climb into the 80s.
The traditional top-10 exemptions into next week’s THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson are reserved for golfers among the top five teams and ties at the Zurich Classic.
NOTE: ShotLink is not utilized for this tournament.
ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE
- MONDAY: Power Rankings
- TUESDAY: Sleepers
- WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider
- SUNDAY: Points and Payouts; Medical Extensions; Qualifiers; Reshuffle
Rob Bolton is a Golfbet columnist for the PGA TOUR. The Chicagoland native has been playing fantasy golf since 1994, so he was just waiting for the Internet to catch up with him. Follow Rob Bolton on Twitter.