The Zurich Classic of New Orleans: 2023 PGA Tour Betting Odds
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are favoured on the golf odds.
This used to be a typical 72-hole stroke-play event, but it wasn’t gaining much traction in its place on the schedule and drawing fairly weak fields, so it was changed to a two-man team format in 2017. Higher-ranked world players pick their own partners and usually pick friends or countrymen or even relatives as long as they have some kind of PGA Tour status or receive a sponsor exemption.
For example, 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick of England picked his brother Alex. It’s only the second career PGA Tour start for the 24-year-old Alex Fitzpatrick, who turned pro last year and played mostly on the PGA Tour Canada and in a few DP World Tour events. He was a very good collegiate player at Wake Forest, reaching as high as No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
This is a very causal event and each team is given the opportunity to choose its own walk-up music as it takes the first tee at TPC Louisiana – like a closer in Major League Baseball has music blaring when it enters a game from the bullpen. TPC Louisiana is a par 72 at around 7,425 yards that includes wetlands and 100 bunkers. The signature hole is the par-5 18th.
There are 80 teams in the event, and the Top 33 and ties make the cut after 36 holes. The teams compete in fourballs (best ball) in Rounds 1 and 3 and in foursomes (alternate shot) in Rounds 2 and 4. If two or more teams are tied after 72 holes, they compete in sudden-death alternating formats.
The defending champions are Americans Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who shot a tournament-record 29-under 259 last year to beat out fellow Americans Sam Burns and Billy Horschel by two shots. The Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup partners Cantlay and Schauffele became the first wire-to-wire winners since the tournament adopted the team format and broke the previous scoring record of 27 under set by Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown and Jonas Blixt-Cameron Smith in 2017.
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans Golf Odds
Defending champions Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele opened with a record 59 in best-ball play Thursday last year, shot 68 on Friday in alternate shot and had a 60 in best ball Saturday to shatter the tournament 54-hole record and open a five-shot lead. They are +350 to repeat. No one has done that in the team format. The duo finished 11th in 2021.
Collin Morikawa and Max Homa are +800 as they play together here for the first time. Neither has contended with other partners. Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell are +1600, Billy Horschel and Sam Burns +2000, and Matt Fitzpatrick and brother Alex +2000.
Horschel won here as an individual in 2013 and with Scott Piercy in 2018. Horschel and Burns were runners-up last year. Six former winners from both the team and individual formats are in the field. Matt Fitzpatrick just won Sunday at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina, his first PGA Tour victory since the 2022 US Open.
No Canadian has won this tournament in either format. Michael Gligic played with American Ryan Armour last year and they finished T36. Adam Hadwin and Adam Svensson missed the cut. Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin are +3500 this week, and Taylor Pendrith and Gligic +8000
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans Golf Predictions
We see no reason not to take Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele to repeat at +350. Clearly the most talented twosome in the field.
