After a couple of designated events with the Masters Tournament and last week’s RBC Heritage, some of the game’s brightest stars are teeing it up once again in the only team event on the PGA Tour schedule this season for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La.
A week ago, the reigning U.S. Open champion, Matt Fitzpatrick was able to take home the victory over the reigning RBC Heritage champion Jordan Spieth after three playoff holes.
Fitzpatrick continues action this week as he teams up with his brother, Alex, looking to win on the PGA Tour for a second consecutive tournament.
Related: Fitzpatrick defeats Spieth in RBC Heritage playoff
How the Zurich Classic of New Orleans works
As a result of this tournament being the only team event on the PGA Tour schedule, this week’s style of play is a little bit different compared to four days of stroke play.
Two players teaming up and attempting to get the lowest score is still the goal.
However, in the first and third rounds the style will be four-ball and the second and fourth rounds will be foursomes.
In four-ball, also known as best ball, both players will play the hole themselves. The player with the best score for that particular hole is recorded onto the scorecard. For example, if player A records an eagle and player B records a par for the first hole, the team is credited with an eagle.
In foursomes, also known as alternate shot, the two players will rotate tee shots, meaning one player will hit off the tee on the odd numbered holes and the other will take the even numbered holes. After player A tees off on the first hole, player B plays the second shot. Player A takes the next shot and so forth until the ball is holed. The total strokes for the hole is the team’s score for that hole.
As a result, Foursome play on Friday and Sunday is going to be vital in winning the tournament this week, needing to rely on the other person.
The starting field will consist of 80 teams for 160 competitors. The cut this week will be the low 33 teams and ties at the 33rd position.
Also read: Zurich Classic of New Orleans provides different animal on the PGA Tour
What channel is the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on?
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will be televised between CBS and the Golf Channel.
Television schedule for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
| Round | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1 | Thursday Apr. 20 | 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 2 | Friday Apr. 21 | 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 3 | Saturday Apr. 22 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel CBS |
| 4 | Sunday Apr. 23 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel CBS |
Other coverage for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
In addition to CBS and the Golf Channel, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ and Peacock.
PGA Tour Live for the marquee and featured groups can be exclusively found on ESPN+ for all four days of the tournament, in addition to the featured holes at the four par-3s on the course at holes No. 3, 9, 14 and 17.
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will also be on the airwaves of Sirius XM.
Thursday, April 20 (Round 1)
ESPN+: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.ET
Sirius XM: 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Friday, April 21 (Round 2)
ESPN+: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 22 (Round 3)
ESPN+: 8:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 23 (Round 4)
ESPN+: 10:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
How much are tickets for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
Tickets for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans begin at $40 to walk the grounds. Those who are Mastercard cardholders can receive preferred pricing all week long.
The two hospitality venues – Best of the Zurich Classic and Walk-On’s Stadium Club – has tickets that begin at $175.
Payout for the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
The total purse for the event is set at $8.6 million and the two winners will each receive $1.2 million. In addition, the two winners will each receive 400 FedEx Cup points.
Who are some of the top golfers in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
In addition to Fitzpatrick, there are plenty of stars who are teaming up this week. A team that is a heavy favorite this week are the Zurich Classic of New Orleans reigning champions, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. They have also been a go-to pair for Team USA in previous Presidents Cups and Ryder Cups.
Last year, Cantlay and Schauffele combined to shoot a 13-under 59 in the first round for a four-ball tournament record, en route to pulling out a wire-to-wire victory in record-setting fashion at 29-under par.
In addition to Cantlay and Schauffele, two of their Presidents Cup Team USA teammates are teaming up this this week in Max Homa and Collin Morikawa. Homa and Morikawa, who both attended UC Berkeley, are one of seven teams where both players from the same team attended the same college or university.
From the International team of last year’s Presidents Cup, Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim are teaming up this week.
Although Georgia defeated TCU in the NCAA college football national championship in January, Harris English and Tom Hoge, alums of both Georgia and TCU, respectively, are teeing it up together.
From current stars to the stars of yesterday, major champions John Daly and David Duval will be paired together, in addition to Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker and Luke Donald in the field this week. Stricker and Johnson, who were the 2021 Ryder Cup captain and vice-captain, are teaming up once again.
Related: PGA Tour announces new details for fall 2023 schedule
5 teams who can hoist the Zurich Classic of New Orleans trophy on Sunday
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele
Both players are coming off of top-15 finishes at the Masters and top-5 finishes at last week’s RBC Heritage. Last year, both Cantlay and Schauffele received their first PGA Tour victory of the season, en route to both players winning a combined three tournaments the rest of the season.
With Cantlay having five top 10s and Schauffele recording seven top 10s this season, no other Zurich Classic of New Orleans team has more combined top-10 finishes. In addition, with their experience in high-pressure team situations of Presidents Cup and Ryder Cups, it benefits them more this week.
Billy Horschel and Sam Burns
Another Team USA Presidents Cup duo is a favorite this week in Billy Horschel and Sam Burns. They enter this week as teammates for the third consecutive year. During the Presidents Cup last year, Horschel and Burns were paired and ultimately came up just short in their matchup to Adam Scott and Cam Davis, 1 Up.
In 2021, the duo tied for fourth and was the runner-up last year. Burns, who has four top-10s this season, won the only other non-stroke play tournament of the PGA Tour season last month at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event.
For Horschel, he has won on this course as both an individual and in a team setting. Horschel won the event as a single in 2013 and won with Scott Piercy in the second year of the team format in 2018. As a result, Horschel is looking to win for the third time on this course while Burns is looking for his sixth PGA Tour title.
Collin Morikawa and Max Homa
The two UC Berkeley alums, who also both grew up near Los Angeles, are teaming up for the first time together. Although Morikawa and Homa played for Team USA in the President Cup, the two were not paired up during the team events.
Homa is looking for his third PGA Tour win this season while Morikawa is still looking for his first. Both players are going to be relied on in their strong suits. On the putting side, Homa is going to be needed to knock down putts, ranking 10th in strokes gained: putting. On the flip side, Morikawa ranks top 20 in strokes gained: off the tee as he also ranks third on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy.
Also read: Max Homa changing the game with the Mamba Mentality
Si Woo Kim & Tom Kim
Another star with success from last year’s President’s Cup was Tom Kim from the International team, who is teaming up with his Cup partner, Si Woo Kim. Tom Kim has two PGA Tour victories before turning 21 years old, something no other player has done in the game besides Tiger Woods.
This is Si Woo Kim’s first trip to TPC Louisiana since 2019 as the duo did take down Cantlay and Schauffele during one of the matches last year during the Presidents Cup. This is the only team with each player having a PGA Tour victory this season with Tom Kim, claiming victory at the Shriners Children’s Open last fall, while Si Woo Kim won the Sony Open in Hawaii. These are two players that know each other well and their talents take their play this week to the next level.
Kurt Kitayama & Taylor Montgomery
Like Homa and Morikawa, Kurt Kitayama and Taylor Montgomery are both alums from the same college, which is UNLV. Both players still reside in Las Vegas, so the camaraderie is not new. In terms of talent, Kitayama won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a designated event at Bay Hill in February while Montgomery is one of the best rookies on the PGA Tour this season.
Zurich Classic of New Orleans pairings
All times ET; MG — Marquee Group, FG: Featured Group
| Round 1: 1 tee Four-Ball | Round 2: 10 tee Foursome | Teams |
| 7:00 a.m. | 12:35 p.m. | Geoff Ogilvy & Kevin Stadler, Wesley Bryan & Grayson Murray |
| 7:13 a.m. | 12:46 p.m. | Juson Dufner & Kevin Chappell, D.J. Trahan & Chad Collins |
| 7:26 a.m. | 12:57 p.m. | Derek Lamely & Mark Hubbard, Jim Herman & Ryan Armour |
| 7:39 a.m. | 1:08 p.m. | Trey Mullinax & Scott Stallings, Nick Taylor & Adam Hadwin |
| 7:52 a.m. | 1:19 p.m. | Brendon Todd & Patton Kizzire, Richy Werenski & Scott Brown |
| 8:05 a.m. | 1:30 p.m. | Robert Streb & Troy Merritt, Andrew Landry & Austin Cook |
| 8:18 a.m. | 1:41 p.m. | Michael Thompson & Paresh Amin, Dylan Frittelli & Matti Schmid |
| 8:31 a.m. | 1:52 p.m. | Sung Kang & Sangmoon Bae, David Lipsky & Aaron Rai |
| 8:44 a.m. | 2:03 p.m. | Chris Stroud & William McGirt, Andrew Novak & Trevor Cone |
| 8:57 a.m. | 2:14 p.m. | Austin Eckroat & Scott Harrington, Zac Blair & Zechang Dou |
| Round 1: 10 tee Four-Ball | Round 2: 1 tee Foursome | Teams |
| 7:00 a.m. | 12:35 p.m. | Ryan Palmer & Scott Piercy, Bill Haas & Jonathan Byrd |
| 7:13 a.m. | 12:46 p.m. | Taylor Moore & Matt NeSmith, Sam Ryder & Doc Redman |
| 7:26 a.m. (FG) | 12:57 p.m. (FG) | Sungjae Im & Keith Mitchell, Sahith Theegala & Justin Suh |
| 7:39 a.m. (FG) | 1:08 p.m. (FG) | Sam Burns & Billy Horschel, Harris English & Tom Hoge |
| 7:52 a.m. (MG) | 1:19 p.m. (MG) | Max Homa & Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick & Alex Fitzpatrick |
| 8:05 a.m. | 1:30 p.m. | J.J. Spaun & Hayden Buckley, Davis Riley & Nick Hardy |
| 8:18 a.m. | 1:41 p.m. | Lee Hodges & Robby Shelton, Taylor Pendrith & Michael Gligic |
| 8:31 a.m. | 1:52 p.m. | Jimmy Walker & D.A. Points, Brandon Wu & Joseph Bramlett |
| 8:44 a.m. | 2:03 p.m. | Fabian Gomez & Augusto Nunez, Cody Gribble & Paul Haley II |
| 8:57 a.m. | 2:14 p.m. | Brent Grant & Kevin Roy, Tano Goya & Trevor Werbylo |
| Round 1: 1 tee Four-Ball | Round 2: 10 tee Foursomes | Teams |
| 12:05 p.m. | 8:20 a.m. | Jonas Blixt & David Lingmerth, Kevin Tway & Kelly Kraft |
| 12:18 p.m. | 8:31 a.m. | Chesson Hadley & Ben Martin, Eric Cole & Sam Saunders |
| 12:31 p.m. | 8:42 a.m. | Zach Johnson & Steve Stricker, Luke Donald & Edoardo Molinari |
| 12:44 p.m. (MG) | 8:53 a.m. (MG) | Si Woo Kim & Tom Kim, Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay |
| 12:57 p.m. (FG) | 9:04 a.m. (FG) | Kurt Kitayama & Taylor Montgomery, Joel Dahmen & Denny McCarthy |
| 1:10 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Russell Knox & Brian Stuard, Wyndham Clark & Beau Hossler |
| 1:23 p.m. | 9:26 a.m. | Thomas Detry & Victor Perez, Matthias Scwab & Vincent Normann |
| 1:36 p.m. | 9:37 a.m. | Doug Ghim & Kramer Hickok, Ben Griffin & Ryan Gerard |
| 1:49 p.m. | 9:48 a.m. | Davis Thompson & Will Gordon, Tyson Alexander & Carl Yuan |
| 2:02 p.m. | 9:59 a.m. | Sean O’Hair & Brandon Matthews, Nicolai Hojgaard & Thorbjorn Olesen |
| Round 1: 10 tee Four-Ball | Round 2: 1 tee Foursome | Teams |
| 12:05 p.m. | 8:20 a.m. | Kyle Stanley & Ricky Barnes, Derek Ernst & Robert Garrigus |
| 12:18 p.m. (FG) | 8:31 a.m. (FG) | John Daly & David Duval, Luke List & Henrik Norlander |
| 12:31 p.m. | 8:42 a.m. | Nick Watney & Charley Hoffman, Austin Smotherman & Harry Higgs |
| 12:44 p.m. | 8:53 a.m. | Tyler Duncan & Hank Lebioda, Brice Garnett & Greyson Sigg |
| 12:57 p.m. | 9:04 a.m. | Chad Ramey & Martin Trainer, Michael Kim & S.Y. Noh |
| 1:10 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Matt Wallace & Callum Shinkwin, Erik van Rooyen & MJ Daffue |
| 1:23 p.m. | 9:26 a.m. | Justin Lower & Dylan Wu, Byeong Hun An & S.H. Kim |
| 1:36 p.m. | 9:37 a.m. | Max McGreevy & Sam Stevens, Callum Tarren & Ben Taylor |
| 1:49 p.m. | 9:48 a.m. | Aaron Baddeley & Harrison Endycott, Cameron Percy & Greg Chalmers |
| 2:02 p.m. | 9:59 a.m. | Carson Young & Kyle Westmoreland, Harry Hall & Akshay Bhatia |
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