StrackaLine offers hole-by-hole maps for TPC Louisiana, which was designed by Pete Dye.
TPC Louisiana – site of the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour – was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 2004 in Avondale. It was built with consultation from PGA Tour players Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson.
The course ranks No. 2 in Louisiana on Golfweek’s Best ranking of top public-access layouts in each state. It underwent a $2 million enhancement project in 2019 intended in large part to provide better playing conditions. It will play to 7,425 yards with a par of 72 for the Zurich Classic.
Thanks to yardage books provided by StrackaLine – the maker of detailed yardage books for thousands of courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges the pros face this week in Louisiana.
“You don’t know how many of those you’re going to get,” Matt said of his chance to tee it up alongside Alex.
AVONDALE, La. – Late on Sunday afternoon, Alex Fitzpatrick was on a flight from North Carolina to New Orleans when his older brother, Matt, the reigning U.S. Open champion, was in the thick of a back-nine battle with Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay at the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage.
“He made me pay $16 to watch that final round and the playoff,” Alex said on Tuesday.
Brotherly love, indeed.
At least it was worth it. Matt lofted a 9-iron within inches of the hole at the third extra hole to beat Spieth in a sudden-death playoff and claim his second Tour title in as many years. He’ll try to hoist trophies in back-to-back weeks at the 2023 Zurich Classic, teaming with his younger brother of four years for the first time in the two-man team event. How exactly did the partnership of Matt, who rose to a career-best eighth in the world this week, and Alex, 697 spots removed bit having recorded his first top-10 finish as a pro his last time out on the Challenge Tour, come together?
“Everyone was pestering me,” Matt said.
“That’s basically what it was. His coach, my mom and dad,” Alex said. “He was kind of forced into it a little bit. I can’t remember what I was doing but I received a text and it was like, ‘What are you doing on these dates?’ And half of me knew what it was after all the pestering. I thought we finally got through to him. I was like, ‘Nothing,’ because I knew what days they were, and he’s like, ‘Do you want to play? I was like, ‘Yeah, sure, I’ll check my busy schedule and make sure I can make it.’ ”
“I’m organized, he’s unorganized. He’s happy, I’m miserable,” Matt said. “Yeah, that’s probably a good way to put it really.”
Alex first made an impression on the golf scene as his big brother’s caddie at the 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, which Matt went on to win at age 16. This year marks a decade from that launching pad for Matt’s career. Last summer, Matt returned and won the U.S. Open there in storybook fashion, with Alex in his gallery.
One of the benefits of being a major winner is being sought after to tee it up in tournaments around the globe, and to entice Matt to play this week the Zurich Classic wisely extended a sponsor’s invite to Alex, who is cutting his teeth on the DP World Tour and the Challenge Tour. The Fitzpatricks become the second brother duo to pair up since the tournament switched to a team format six years ago, following in the footsteps of Brooks and Chase Koepka, who finished T-5 in 2017 and T-22 in 2019.
“You don’t know how many of those you’re going to get,” Matt said, referring to opportunities to tee it up alongside his brother. “For me, obviously I’m going to have to admit it now in front of everyone, but yeah, it was a no-brainer for me. It was always one I was looking to try and play.”
What’s the Team Fitzpatrick game plan for this week?
“Hopefully I kind of piggy-back off him this week, and yeah, we kind of ham-and-egg it and hopefully a good result at the end of the week,” Alex said.
“Ham-and-egg it,” said Matt, who lasted all of three months at Northwestern. “Wow, you turned very American in your four years at college.”
Matt said his brother knows how to make birdies in bunches, which should serve them well in both four-ball and alternate shot formats being used this week. “If I can kind of just steady the ship, I’ll just let him loose at trying to make some birdies,” Matt said. “I’m really proud of where his game is at and how much he’s improved. I do believe that he’s got a lot of talent, and hopefully soon he’ll start showing that.”
The American duo split the top-prize of $2,398,700 ($1,199,350 each) after they cruised to the first wire-to-wire win in the history of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, beating Billy Horschel and Sam Burns by two shots at TPC Louisiana. Horschel and Burns will take home $489,700 for their efforts, with the third-place team of Sam Ryder and Doc Redman earning $320,588.
Check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
WEDGES:Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (46, 52 degrees), SM9 (56 degrees bent to 57), SM8 (60 degrees bent to 61), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S300 shafts
[afflinkbutton text=”$179 each – GlobalGolf” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/x9q1jv”]
FAIRWAY WOODS: Epic Speed (15 degrees), with Mitsubishi Kai’li White 70 TX shaft, Mavrik Sub Zero (20 degrees), with Mitsubishi Kai’li White 80 TX shaft
The American duo is the first to win the Zurich wire-to-wire.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele entered the final round of the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a five-shot lead and never gave it up.
The pair ham-and-egged their way around TPC Louisiana on Sunday in the alternate shot format to sign for an even-par 72 to finish at 29 under for a two-shot win over Billy Horschel and Sam Burns. The win is the seventh of Cantlay’s PGA Tour career and fifth of Schauffele’s. The American duo also became the first to win the event wire-to-wire.
Horschel and Burns finished tied for fourth last year and improved to runner-up this year, followed by the team of Doc Redman and Sam Ryder, who finished third at 24 under.
Can’t really laugh at them, I make these all the time.
AVONDALE, La. — Golf is hard, even for the professionals. This is one of those instances.
Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown, best buddies from Aiken, South Carolina, are playing in this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Their best finish at this event came back in 2017 when Kisner chipped in on 18 to force a playoff. They would go on to lose to Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith.
Today, the Aiken boys ran into quite the problem at the par-3 9th at TPC Louisiana. It started when Brown found the water off the tee. After taking a drop, Kisner also found the water. Then, after another drop, Brown chunked a wedge into the water again.
Kisner would find the green with his second attempt and leave Brown with a 13-foot putt for an 8 which he made to save the team from having to write three times the par on their scorecard.
The PGA Tour’s lone team event heads to the final round at TPC Louisiana.
The 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana heads to the final round.
The lone team event on the PGA Tour schedule had pretty much all the big name groups make the cut. The event started with 80 teams and the low 33 teams and ties made the weekend (39 in all).
Five teams went out early Saturday morning and were able to move up the leaderboard with 9-under 63s, but it may have been too late as the lead, currently held by Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, is five shots after they shot 12-under 60, the low round of the day.
The fourth-round format is Foursomes, otherwise known as alternate shot.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the final round of the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. All times Eastern.
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The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a unique event offering the PGA Tour pros a break from the normalcy of stroke play. Rounds 1 and 3 consist of best ball (or Fourballs), while rounds 2 and 4 are alternate shot (otherwise know as Foursomes).
Although the Schauffele/Cantlay team is leading the pack, several teams lurk just a few shots back.
Here is an updated look of the betting odds heading into the weekend at TPC Louisiana.
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The PGA Tour’s lone team event heads to the weekend at TPC Louisiana.
The 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana heads to the weekend.
The lone team event on the PGA Tour schedule had pretty much all the big name groups make the cut. The event started with 80 teams and the low 33 teams and ties made the weekend.
Among the notables to miss the cut is the team of Sergio Garcia and Tommy Fleetwood.
The third-round format is Four-balls while the final round will be Foursomes.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the third round of the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. All times Eastern.
We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.
Jay Haas, 68, is the oldest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour, edging past Sam Snead, who did it in 1979.
All Bill Haas wanted to do was cozy his 47-foot birdie putt into tap-in range at the 18th hole at TPC Louisiana so Team Haas could have a stress-free finish to the second round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. So much for best-laid plans.
Bill’s putt stalled 4 ½ feet short meaning his dad, Jay, would have to sweat over a par putt in the alternate-shot format to make the cut of the PGA Tour’s lone two-man team event as part of the FedEx Cup season.
For Jay, 68, he’d been in this spot too many times and he delivered as he had on so many Fridays before.
“That was probably as nervous as I’ve ever been over a putt of that length certainly,” he said. “It sounds silly just to have a chance to make the cut. However, there’s a lot of circumstances here that it kind of made it doubly important in my mind.”
That included becoming the oldest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour, edging past Sam Snead, who made the cut at the 1979 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic at 67 years, 2 months and 23 days.
“I don’t think it should (count) because Sam Snead did it on his own and all that, but anything that I’m even remotely close to Sam Snead on would be very special,” said Haas, of Snead, who was in the field when he made his Tour debut at the 1973 Wyndham Championship.
Haas is making his 799th Tour start, second on the all-time list behind Mark Brooks (803). Among his other achievements he counts leading the record books with 591 made cuts. And Jay, who captained the 2015 U.S. Presidents Cup team, was no slouch in his prime, winning nine times on Tour and another 18 times on PGA Tour Champions, where he remains active.
Jay Haas and Bill Haas react on the ninth green during the first round of the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana. (Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
On Thursday, young guns Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland were asked if they could imagine making 800 Tour starts.
“We’ve got a long ways to go,” Hovland said.
“No, I can’t imagine that,” Morikawa added.
“That’s cool. He must have seen some stuff,” Hovland said. “He must have some pretty good stories. That’s a lot of events.”
Team Haas opened with 7-under 65 at the Pete Dye-designed layout matching the best-ball score of Morikawa and Hovland, ranked second and fifth in the world respectively, and defending champions Cameron Smith (No. 4) and Marc Leishman.
On Friday, Team Haas signed for 1-under 71 and made the cut on the number, tying at 8-under 136 with World No. 1 and reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and his partner Ryan Palmer.
“I was getting stretched this morning,” Bill said, “and Charley Hoffman was raving about how good (my dad) played yesterday, and I just kind of said, ‘Well, I see it all the time at home. This isn’t anything new.’ ”
Father and son got off to an auspicious start with birdies at the first two holes. Bill rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the first and his old man stuck a wedge to 4 feet at the par-5 second. A bogey at the third only slowed their progress momentarily as they continued to make hay on the par 5s, adding birdies at Nos. 7 and 11. That improved their score to 10 under and comfortably inside the cut line. But the trip to the house was shaky from there with bogeys at Nos. 14 and 17.
“I was grinding,” Bill said. “At 14, he hit an unbelievable hybrid in there on that par-3 and I ran it by five feet and we three-putted, and then the next hole he hit a beautiful 6-iron and I left that three feet short.”
Bill added: “It’s just hard when you’re trying so hard. It’s one of the hardest things to do in golf is to let that go and quit trying so hard and just execute.”
Bill, 39, won the FedEx Cup in 2011 and six Tour titles but none since 2015. He has struggled in recent years to keep his card and this season is using a one-time exemption for being top-25 on the all-time Tour money list. He entered the week at No. 168 in FedEx Cup point standings.
Father and son earned a chance to enjoy two more rounds together, and already have clinched the feel-good story of the week.
“To somehow shake that putt in on the last hole was something I’ll never forget,” Jay said. “But just the whole week, playing with Bill, getting texts from all my kids, it’s just been a real charge.”
