Tag: 2023 Zurich Classic

2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Team of Max Homa, Collin Morikawa headline missed cut list

It took an aggregate of 10-under 134 at TPC Louisiana to book a tee time for the weekend.

AVONDALE, La. – Misery loves company.

It doesn’t get much more frustrating than missing a cut and having to clean out your locker and pack your clubs in your travel bag Friday. But it may hurt a little more when you feel as though you let your partner down.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans started the week with 80 teams but only 35 will have a chance to wear the champion’s belts and lift the trophy Sunday after the 36-hole cut. After playing four-ball, or best-ball, during the first round and foursomes, or alternate-shot, during the second round, it took an aggregate of 10-under 134 to book a tee time for the weekend.

Here’s a look at some of the big names who were sent packing.

Zurich: Leaderboard | Photos

2023 Zurich Classic: Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele beat their best-ball score by 4 shots with tournament-record 63 in alternate-shot

“When you get two world-class players playing together and we both have a day where we’re on like today, we can post a low one.”

AVONDALE, La. — Following a best-ball round of 67 that included three bogeys and had them outside the cutline, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele had an ambitious score in mind for Friday’s more difficult alternate-shot format.

“As low as possible,” Schauffele said with a smirk.

Mission accomplished. The defending Zurich Classic of New Orleans champions made an eagle and seven birdies and shot a tournament-record 9-under 63 at TPC Louisiana. That was not only a ridiculous four strokes better than their best-ball tally from a day earlier but also shattered the previous alternate-shot tournament record by two strokes. How did Cantlay and Schauffele explain the way they flipped the script?

“It was just necessary,” Schauffele said.

“When you get two world-class players playing together and we both have a day where we’re on like today, we can post a low one,” Cantlay said.

Their opening-round 67, which included a sluggish start of 1-over through six holes, was “an anomaly,” as Cantlay put it, and after a “painful chuckle,” the Nos. 4 and 5 players in the world righted the ship before a sloppy finish on the way to the house.

But they had a quick turnaround – Cantlay’s alarm blared at 3:30 a.m., Schauffele woke at 4 – and they were motivated to put up a fight in their title defense. They also knew that the foursomes, or alternate-shot format, has been their jam, particularly in international competition.

They wasted little time charging up the leaderboard. Schauffele set the tone by stiffing a wedge from 100 yards to a foot at No. 10, their first hole of the day. Cantlay had a little more work to do at 11, sinking a 5-foot birdie at the par 5. At 13, Schauffele drained a 31-foot birdie from just off the green for their third birdie in their first four holes. On an otherwise stress-free day, Schauffele drove it into a bunker at 15 but Cantlay bailed him out by nailing an 18-foot par putt.

At the short, par-4 16th, Cantlay ripped a 311-yard drive, Schauffele pitched to 4 feet and Cantlay cleaned up on the green. Two holes later, they capped off their first nine in style with Cantlay holing a 15-foot eagle putt to tour the back nine in a tournament record 6-under 30.

“He didn’t need any help reading the putt,” Schauffele said. “He just knocked it right in.”

“The eagle at 18 was big,” Cantlay added. “We knew we had to play well today to give ourselves a chance to get back into this tournament, and we’re in a good spot going into the weekend.”

There would be no slowing down after making the turn. At the first, it was Schauffele’s turn to bury a 15-foot birdie. Even Schauffele hitting his approach at the par-5 second into a bunker 40 yards short of the green didn’t slow them down as Cantlay exploded to inside 3 feet for another routine birdie. Schauffele’s putter heated up for one more circle on the card, a 24-foot birdie at the fifth. The only thing that dampened their performance was a suspension of play that delayed the round for two hours and 32 minutes.

“We were flowing pretty good leading into that break, so who knows what would have happened,” Schauffele said.

The previous tournament foursomes record of 65 had been held by the teams of Jon Rahm-Ryan Palmer in 2019 and Garrick Higgo-Branden Grace and Jason Day-Jason Scrivener in 2022. The Cantlay-Schauffele duo continues to re-write the tournament record book – already holding the 18-hole best-ball mark and 54-hole and 72-hole tournament scoring marks. On Saturday, the tournament format returns to best-ball play. Asked whether they had any more records they were gunning for, Cantlay said, “We’d like to get that 59 again in best ball. We’re going to try.”

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Who is Paresh Amin and what is he doing competing in the 2023 Zurich Classic?

The answer may boggle the mind.

AVONDALE, La. — What is a 43-year-old ex-Army and Navy man who has only made one cut in 28 starts on the GPro Tour the past three years doing making his PGA Tour debut this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?

It’s a fair question and the answer may boggle the mind.

Paresh Amin is competing alongside 15-year Tour veteran Michael Thompson at TPC Louisiana in the Tour’s only two-man team event. On Thursday, the pair shot a best-ball total of 1-under 71, which left them tied for 77th out of the 80-team field.

“It was interesting,” Amin told the Times-Picayune. “It went about the way I pictured it. But overall, I thought it was a really good experience.”

Amin received one of 10 sponsor invites into the tournament when Thompson was a late addition to the field and chose him as his partner. They struck up a friendship playing golf at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia, where Thompson used to live and both are members.

“He’s become my really good friend,” said Thompson, explaining why Amin was the first and only person he asked to be his partner in the tournament. “I haven’t had any success with a partner in the team format. If I was going to play a team event, I wanted to be with someone I really liked.

“He’s trying to playing professionally and I wanted to give him a chance to experience a PGA Tour event, meet the equipment reps, meet the caddies. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to but we tried are hardest.”

Amin played high school golf but didn’t touch a club during his 16-year military career. It was his wife, Julia, who encouraged him to take up the game again.

“She told me, ‘You need to get out of the house, you’re driving me nuts,’ ” Amin said. “I had all of these DIY projects around the house, and none of them were finished, so I picked up the clubs and decided to do this for a living.”

Amin has competed on the GPro Tour for the past three years and to say he’s struggled is putting it mildly. He missed the cut or withdrew in all 27 events he entered with a 36-hole cut, recording a tie for 79th in the 2020 Columbia (South Carolina) Open, a 36-hole event. He also shot a not-so tidy 42-over for four rounds at Mackenzie Tour Q-School this year.

“I’m not used to this kind of stuff. When you go on a (military) assignment, you get the call and you fly into another country and you have a job to do,” he explained to Jeff Duncan of Nola.com. “There’s a lot of lag time to golf. There’s all this build-up to this. I felt like I kind of got in my rhythm on the back nine.”

Amin failed to make a birdie in the round but he canned an 11-foot par putt at No. 11 and made a par they used at No. 15 after Thompson made bogey. The team also counted his bogey at the third hole when Thompson made a double.

Sponsor exemptions are just that — up to the whim of the sponsor. Alex Fitzpatrick entered the second round at the Zurich Classic one off of the lead with his brother and was the main reason his big brother, Matt, the reigning U.S. Open champion and winner of last week’s RBC Heritage, signed up to play this week. Sponsor invites always have been a mixed bag with celebrities such as Tony Romo taking up spots that could go to more qualified players and potentially change their lives with a big week. Amin has one of the thinner resumes for a FedEx Cup event that we’ve seen for a sponsor invite in some time.

“These guys out here obviously have an advantage over me,” he said. “They’ve been doing it their whole life. I’m just trying to crack the code and make it full time out here.”

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Fitzpatrick brothers ‘dovetailed’ it around, a bromance brewing on Team Im/Mitchell and more from Thursday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Catch up on Thursday’s action here.

The opening round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana is in the books, and it was a doozy.

Matt Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex got off to a hot start, signing for a best-ball 10-under 62 and were tied for the clubhouse lead when they walked off the golf course.

The unlikely pairing of Keith Mitchell and Sungjae Im, a story you have to read to believe, was another team that crossed the double-digit threshold and finished the day 10 under alongside David Lipsky/Aaron Rai and Henrik Norlander/Luke List.

However, after 18 holes, Beau Hossler/Wyndham Clark and Brandon Matthews/Sean O’Hair lead at 11 under.

If you missed any of Thursday’s action, no worries, have you covered. Here are several takeaways from the first round of the Zurich Classic.

Zurich: Leaderboard | Friday tee times | Photos

2023 Zurich Classic: The unlikely story behind how Keith Mitchell and Sungjae Im teamed up

“I’ve always been his best friend,” Mitchell said. “I just wanted him to like me back.”

AVONDALE, La. – Did Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell just become best friends at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?

“I’ve always been his best friend,” Mitchell said. “I just wanted him to like me back.”

The first-time partners in the PGA Tour’s only two-man team event sure played like bosom buddies during the first round on Thursday at TPC Louisiana, carding nine birdies, an eagle and a chip-in par by Im at the last to shoot a best-ball total of 10-under 62, one stroke of the pace set by Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler and Sean O’Hair and Brandon Matthews.

“He hit a bunch of laser beams and smiled, and I just tried to help when I could,” Mitchell said.

Im, a 25-year-old two-time winner on the PGA Tour, and Mitchell, 31, first played together in the third round of the 2019 Honda Classic, which Mitchell went on to win for his lone Tour title.

“All he did was just smile and high five and stripe it. I was like, man, this guy is going to be really good,” Mitchell recalled. “So jokingly one day, I was like, hey, we need to play Zurich.”

Unfortunately, Im already had committed to playing with Whee Kim that year. Mitchell figured that was that. In 2020, the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19 and the past two years Mitchell has partnered with Brandt Snedeker, who has been sidelined most of the season with an injury, while Im played with fellow South Korean native Ben An.

“After I’d asked him the first time and he said no, I wasn’t going to ask him again,” Mitchell told Golf.com last week.

About a month ago, Im texted his interest in teaming up this week through his agent and Mitchell, who is playing his 11th tournament in the last 14 weeks, couldn’t resist the opportunity to pair with the No. 18 player in the world.

“When you have the opportunity to play with such a superstar, you say yes,” Mitchell said.

In the lead up to the tournament, Im and Mitchell made a humorous video that was posted to social media, where Im left an invite to be his partner in Mitchell’s locker. Mitchell checked the ‘yes’ box in red Sharpie and wrote in capital letters, “DUH!”

In the comments section to the Instagram post, Im wrote, “Let’s Goooo.”

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They did just that racing to the top of the leaderboard. Starting on the back nine at the Pete Dye-designed layout, Im and Mitchell made five birdies before they both made bogey at the first hole. But they rebounded by playing the next six holes in six under, including a 31-foot eagle at the par-5 seventh by Mitchell, who called it his biggest contribution of the round.

That and teaching Im about college football and in particular his alma mater, the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

“He’s now the biggest Georgia fan in South Korea. He’s a Georgia resident now. That helps,” Mitchell said.

But when Mitchell asked him if he’d join him at a Georgia game this fall, Im demurred.

“Busy,” he said.

“He’d come,” Mitchell said. “He plays golf every week. I don’t think he has time.”

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2023 Zurich Classic: Tiger Woods is out but Joe LaCava is subbing this week for Steve Stricker

.Stricker’s wife, Nikki, who has caddied for him off and on through the years, kept pushing for LaCava

AVONDALE, La. – While Tiger Woods may be sidelined for an extended period of time after undergoing surgery today, his caddie Joe LaCava has a bag this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, looping for Steve Stricker.

“It’s a little bit longer story than what it needs to be probably,” Stricker said. “I asked his son first.”

LaCava Jr., who has caddied for Charlie Woods at the PNC Championship the last few years in a group with his dad, worked for Stricker earlier this year at the Cologuard Classic on PGA Tour Champions.

“Delightful kid, Joe Jr.,” Stricker said.

Unfortunately, Joe Jr. was already spoken for; he’s working on the Korn Ferry Tour for Brandon Hagy and already had committed to the job for the next couple of weeks.

2023 Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana
Steve Stricker reacts during the pro-am prior to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana on April 19, 2023, in Avondale, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

“I literally said, I can ask Joe, but I don’t think he’s going to want to come. ‘Fifty-five-year-old guy, washed-up Tour player. Do I really want to come all the way from (Connecticut) down to New Orleans?’ So my thinking went away from Joe Sr. right away. I’m like, he’s not going to want to come here,” Stricker recalled. “I asked a bunch of other guys and nobody could make it.”

However, Stricker’s wife, Nikki, who has caddied for him off and on through the years, kept pushing for Joe Sr.

Finally, Stricker caved and LaCava said, “Oh, heck, yeah, I’ll come.”

“Now he’s upset I asked his kid first,” Stricker said. “He’s such a great guy, fun to be with, easy to be with. Obviously is very good at what he does. We’ve been having fun with him so far. But that’s — short story made long, that’s how it ended up being.”

Stricker, the victorious captain of the 2020 U.S. Ryder Cup team and an assistant for this year’s match in Italy later this year, is teaming with Zach Johnson, his successor as U.S. Ryder Cup captain. Team Stricker-Johnson with LaCava Sr., on the bag, tee off on Thursday at 1:31 p.m. ET.

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2023 Zurich Classic: Defending champs Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele dish on friendship bracelets and talking trash

Cantlay and Schauffele both enter this week’s event in New Orleans red hot.

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.

Zurich: Photos | Yardage book

“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.

2022 Zurich Classic
Xander Schauffele (left) and Patrick Cantlay (right) hold up the Zurich Classic trophy and belts after winning the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. (Photo: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports)

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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Photos: 2023 Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans

Check out some of the best photos from NOLA here.

The PGA Tour is in New Orleans this week for the 2023 Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana where several star-studded teams will vie for the title.

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the Nos. 4 and 5 ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking, are the defending champions. Max Homa and Collin Morikawa are teaming up, as are last year’s runner ups Sam Burns and Billy Horschel.

The most anticipated group? John Daly and David Duval.

During rounds one and three the field will play four-ball and during rounds two and four it will play foursomes.

Check out some of the best photos from the 2023 Zurich Classic in New Orleans below.

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Photos: 2023 Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans

Check out some of the best photos from NOLA here.

The PGA Tour is in New Orleans this week for the 2023 Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana where several star-studded teams will vie for the title.

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the Nos. 4 and 5 ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking, are the defending champions. Max Homa and Collin Morikawa are teaming up, as are last year’s runner ups Sam Burns and Billy Horschel.

The most anticipated group? John Daly and David Duval.

During rounds one and three the field will play four-ball and during rounds two and four it will play foursomes.

Check out some of the best photos from the 2023 Zurich Classic in New Orleans below.

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2023 Zurich Classic Fan Shop photos: Featuring Mardi Gras beads and an homage to Tri-Pod the gator

What item is your favorite?

AVONDALE, La. — The merchandise tent at the Zurich Classic is about the size of your run-of-the-mill PGA Tour event but inside it features a collection of T-shirts and accessories that represent the Crescent City proudly.

Props to whoever calls the shots for spicing it up with some gear from Tasc and Barstool Sports and while there are plenty of odes to New Orleans’s music scene and Mardi Gras beads, my favorite has to be the homage to Tri-Pod, golf’s favorite three-legged alligator that famously called TPC Louisiana, site of the Zurich Classic, home and gained #legendary status.

The head cover game at the Zurich Classic is particularly strong and it also featured probably the best kids section I’ve seen all year. Sign me up for a Putt Dat shirt for my little one.

Here’s a look at what’s available at this week’s Zurich Classic fan shop.

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