The PGA Tour offers something a little different this week with a team golf event. First run as the Crescent Open way back in 1938, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has featured teams of two players since 2017 and it generally attracts a strong field.
Cameron Smith has been the most successful player since the change and, along with Aussie compatriot Marc Leishman, he will come into the 2022 edition as the defending champion. New Masters Champion and World Number one Scottie Scheffler is also in play.
Last week at the RBC Heritage, we claimed a return as Tommy Fleetwood squeezed into the top ten so let’s see if we can build on that as we head to TPC Louisiana. This is our full Zurich Classic of New Orleans predictions and preview article with betting picks.
At the top of the outright winner betting lines with the top U.S. oddsmakers, the pairing of Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland are in the lead at a general 8/1. Combined, they would have the lowest world ranking, but this is just the second visit to this tournament for both men and the first time they have teamed up. Putting is perceived to be a weakness and there doesn’t seem to be too much interest in the favorites at those odds.
Behind the leaders, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are listed at 9/1, followed by the Aussie team of Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman at 10/1. Smith and Leishman are defending after easing out Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel in a playoff last year. For Smith, this was his second victory in the Zurich Classic after claiming the title with Jonas Blixt in 2017.
There is interest in Cantlay and Schauffele. As practice partners, they are deemed to be a ‘natural team’ but they could only manage 11th place in their debut last year.
The next group in the odds are led by Scottie Scheffler and Ryan Palmer who can be found in many places at 11/1. Given that Scheffler has won four tournaments this year while rising to the top of the rankings, it is perhaps surprising that the team isn’t shorter.
Palmer will certainly play his part over the four days: He won here with Jon Rahm in 2019 and that was one of three top ten finishes in this event. This is their first time together but the Scheffler – Palmer axis will be strong.
Moving through this section of the golfers, Sam Burns and Billy Horschel are quoted at 12/1 and then we have a gap to Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia at 18/1. Fleetwood and Garcia were runners up in 2019 and will know each other well from previous Ryder Cups.
Horschel claimed victory with Scott Piercy in 2018 and he also won the Zurich Classic when it was a regular singles event five years previously.
Other pairings to consider in this section include Shane Lowry and Ian Poulter, Talor Gooch and Max Homa, plus Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira who are all on offer at 22/1 in places.
Another European pair courting some attention this week is the duo of Tyrrell Hatton and Danny Willett. Both men made it to the final day at Augusta and, while they enjoyed contrasting fortunes at the death, both are in good touch. Hatton and Willett finished in a tie for eighth on debut last year and, at 35/1, they may be a strong outside bet.
Further back at 40/1 are Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele who performed even better in 2021. A tie for fourth suggests they have a solid team going into Thursday. There are lots of pairs in contention, but we suspect that we have already mentioned the winners of the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Team golf tends to producer fewer shocks and that’s why there are shorter odds at the head of the sportsbooks’ wagering markets.
Our Preview’s 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Predictions with Course, Format & Betting Trends
The first and third rounds of the Zurich Classic are played as fourballs. All players play the hole, and the lowest score is recorded. In the second and fourth rounds, alternate shot is used. This is not a matchplay tournament so the aggregate scores will be totaled and the lowest wins the competition.
The venue for the event is the TPC Louisiana in Avondale. It’s a par 72 with some significant length at around 7,425 yards. It has been the permanent host for the Zurich Classic since 2007 so the players should be well acquainted with the challenges that it poses.
Power hitting will generally be rewarded and there may be little punishment for any waywardness off the tee. Greens in Regulation does tend to be a telling stat, however, with the putting surfaces offering tricky undulations and a pace up to 12 on the Stimpmeter.
Strong all-round pairings will rise to the top and we are opting for Sam Burns and Billy Horschel. At the start of the new season, Burns threatened to go on the type of run that Scottie Scheffler has achieved and, while that hasn’t quite happened, he will be back in form before too long.
Horschel is in strong touch and the team looks a sound bet. There’s unlikely to be too much in the way of top 10 finish betting lines or other props, so this preview and its predictions will stay with the outright winner pick and wait for a return to conventional tournament play next week. This is the pick at best odds:
- Sam Burns and Billy Horschel are the betting tip to win the Zurich Classic 2022 at +1200 (12/1) with Bovada, EveryGame or BetOnline.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.