AVONDALE, La. — On Tuesday, Zurich Classic of New Orleans tournament director Steve Worthy was speaking with one of the defending champions, Xander Schauffele, outside the clubhouse at TPC Louisiana. As they approached the locker room a police officer asked to see his credential for admittance — of Schauffele, not Worthy.
“Don’t you see his picture on the big sign,” Worthy said.
Schauffele and his partner, Patrick Cantlay, went wire-to-wire to win the Zurich Classic last year and return as the top-ranked players in the field.
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“We got off to a really good start and had that cushion coming into Sunday,” Schauffele said of last year’s triumph in which they set the tournament 72-hole scoring record despite posting an even-par 72 in the final round. “If we could do something of that nature, that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Cantlay enters the week ranked fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking, one spot ahead of Schauffele. Both players are red hot. Cantlay has four top 10s in his last six starts and missed out on the playoff at last week’s RBC Heritage by a stroke. Schauffele has three straight top 10s, and finished fourth last week, one spot behind Cantlay. But both are still looking for a win this season. Could this be the week?
“I think sometimes two minds is better than one, especially when they’re both working well,” Schauffele said.
This is the sixth edition of the Zurich Classic in the team format, with 80 two-man teams competing in four-ball and alternate-shot formats starting Thursday at TPC Louisiana.
Cantlay and Schauffele are teaming up for the third time and have become a go-to pairing for Team USA in international competitions since Tiger Woods paired them at the Presidents Cup in 2019 — going a combined 5-0 in foursomes. Asked if they wanted to branch out and play with someone else or if they are partners forever, Schauffele said, “We don’t have friendship bracelets yet. Maybe we’ll get those worked out after this week.”
Defending a title is never easy and Cantlay and Schauffele may have trouble just being low-team from Southern California with Max Homa and Collin Morikawa teaming up for the first time.
“They’re like Long Beach and San Diego. We’re like LA,” Morikawa said.
Asked if there will be any trash talk between the two teams, both sides said that was unlikely.
“I don’t think Pat talks trash. I don’t think he’d be the greatest person to get into a trash talking spat with,” Homa said during his Tuesday press conference. “Xander is the most underrated person out here when it comes to that. But yeah, them two, especially Pat, Pat is pretty quiet, so I think you could say the meanest thing ever to him and he’d just nod at you and continue to walk.”
Schauffele laughed when he heard that Homa gave him props.
“Wow, that’s an interesting call out, first of its kind for me. I like to have fun. I like to needle at people. Just like every child on the planet, if you don’t like being needled, just ignore me. That’s kind of how that works. When people start ignoring me, then I move on to the next target.”
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