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After back-to-back weeks of loaded fields at the Masters and RBC Heritage, players get a little bit of a break at the 2024 Zurich Classic this week. It’s a team event that features 80 total pairings at TPC Louisiana, with the 1st round beginning on Thursday morning in New Orleans.
Below, we look at the 2024 Zurich Classic odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
The Zurich Classic will feature 2 rounds of alternate shot and 2 rounds of best ball. Teams will begin with best ball on Thursday and Saturday, while they’ll play alternate shot on Friday and Sunday. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay won this event in 2022 and come in as the betting favorites (+450). Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are teaming up for the 1st time and have the 2nd-best odds (+750). Defending champs Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, who won at 30-under 258, are at +5000.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 and 7,425 yards, a traditional layout with two par-5s and two par-3s on each side. There is minimal elevation change on this course, a stark contrast to Augusta National, but it does favor long hitters due to the overall length of the course. The winning score has been between 20-under and 30-under in each of the last 6 years.
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Zurich Classic – Expert picks
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 4:09 p.m. ET.
Will Zalatoris/Sahith Theegala (+1000)
Zalatoris is one of the best iron players on tour and has the length off the tee to make this course more manageable. Theegala is fresh off a solo 2nd at the RBC Heritage and is having a terrific 2024 season. There’s a lack of experience with this pairing, but their ball-striking prowess is there.
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy (+2500)
Hoge made a quintuple-bogey on the last hole Sunday to tumble down the leaderboard, but he played well otherwise. He and Harris English tied for 13th here last year so he’ll have a new teammate in McNealy, but he’s a steady player who consistently finishes top-40.
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Zurich Classic picks – Contenders
Adam Hadwin/Nick Taylor (+4000)
Hadwin and Taylor were runners-up to Hardy and Riley last year, finishing just 2 shots out of the lead. Hadwin had a decent week at the RBC Heritage outside of a 1-over finish on Sunday, while Taylor is continuing to become an exciting player to watch.
Billy Horschel/Tyson Alexander (+4500)
Horschel won the Corales Puntacana Championship on Sunday and now teams up with the big-hitting Alexander, who’s made 3 straight cuts. Horschel and Scott Piercy won the event in 2018 so Billy knows what it takes to win here.
Zurich Classic picks – Long shots
Aaron Rai/David Lipsky (+6600)
Rai is 29th on tour in strokes gained: tee-to-green so he’s hitting the ball well. He just needs to improve on the greens, but in a 2-man event, putting is less essential because he’ll have Lipsky to fall back on.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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