Justin Thomas is back. The two-time Major champion has been consistent of late, clawing his way back to the top of the men’s game.
2025 US PGA Tour
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC Louisiana, Avondale, New Orleans
24th-27th April
He really underlined his recent renaissance at last week’s RBC Heritage, beating Andrew Novak in a playoff to claim his first PGA Tour title in three years. Winning that Signature Event has vaulted Thomas into 2nd in the latest FedEx Cup standings (just behind Rory). Speaking of the Northern Irish superstar, Rory McIlroy will return to action this week for the first time since completing the career as Grand Slam. He will once again be teaming up with Shane Lowry as they seek to make it back-to-back Zurich Classic of New Orleans titles. This year marks the 8th edition of this niche team event. This tournament allows players to gear down and decompress after some of the most intense weeks in the golfing calendar.
This event dates back all the way to 1938. It was formerly a conventional stroke-play event and has been a fixture on the tour since 1958. This was once a prestigious event in the golfing calendar, with the likes of Nicklaus, Player and Watson picking up victories in the past. However, interest in the event waned and the PGA Tour did some out-of-the-box thinking, transforming the event into the only two-man team event on the tour. Players seemed to respond to this tweak, embracing a format that deviated from the more solitary stroke-play format. Many of these players will never make Ryder Cup or President’s Cup sides, and this event affords them the opportunity to partner up with their buddies in a competitive format.
The Format
This 72-hole stroke-play event will feature a starting field of 80 two-man teams. The teams will play four-ball (better ball) in rounds one and three. The teams will play foursomes (alternate shot) in rounds two and four. The low 33 teams and ties after 36 holes will make the weekend.
TPC Louisiana took charge of this event back in 2005, but the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina forced it to relinquish hosting duties in 2006. However, it resumed hosting duties in 2007 and has staged every renewal since. TPC Louisiana is yet another Pete Dye design (this period of the season is just awash with Pete Dye masterpieces). This Bermuda grass layout feels like a resort version of TPC Sawgrass. The fairways are extremely generous, and the greens are usually receptive (this can boil down to a real turkey-shoot). It’s quite long and I would probably favor driving distance over accuracy this week. The power-based duo of Schauffele and Cantlay highlighted this with an opening 59 in 2022. Players will also need to drain plenty of putts to stay in contention this year (as is always the case with birdie-fests).
All eyes will be on Rory McIlroy this week (even if this is a team competition). McIlroy’s victory at Augusta transcended the sport, drawing huge TV audiences and capturing the imagination of the sporting world. It will be fascinating to see how he comes down from that high. I think it will help that he is partnering with great pal Shane Lowry (who he won this title with last year). Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge should make an excellent team. Horschel won this event in 2018 and won on his own ball in 2013. Hoge also has a bank of solid form at TPC Louisiana. Thomas Detry and Robert MacIntyre form another highly formidable European unit. Elsewhere, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin are event specialists who don’t mind operating under the radar.
Past Winners
2024: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (-25) *playoff
2023: Nick Harding and Davis Riley (-30)
2022: Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (-29)
2021: Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith (-20)
2020: event cancelled
Betting Favourites (To Win): McIlroy/Lowry (7/2), Morikawa/Kitayama (12/1), Detry/McIntyre (18/1), Poston/Mitchell (18/1), Horschel/Hoge (22/1)
Value Bet
Henrik Norlander and Luke List- To Win (90/1)
This is a matchup that could offer some value in the place markets. They have familiarity on their side, playing together in each of the last two events (they finished T23 in 2023 and T19 last year). They would have finished much higher last year were it not for a closing 75 in alternate shot. Luke List doesn’t come into this with much form, losing strokes on approach to the field in 15 straight events. Ouch. However, Norlander is exceptional on approach, ranked 2nd in SG: Approach in his past 24 rounds. I think that these two just dovetail well and could do better than their odds suggest.
The Team to Beat- Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin- To Win (33/1)
I have chosen to swerve the headline duo of McIlroy and Lowry (the price is ridiculously short, and McIlroy may struggle to motivate himself in the aftermath of his historic success at Augusta). Instead, I’m opting for event specialists Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, who have finished inside the top 15 in three of their last four trips to Louisiana (highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2023). Taylor has enjoyed an impressive season, picking up a win among four top 25 finishes. Hadwin has been less consistent, with that one top ten finish at TPC Scottsdale. Hadwin, however, can go really low
(he has shot a 59 on the PGA Tour in the past). His mercurial abilities make him an excellent partner for the steadier Taylor.
