Zurich Classic of New Orleans Preview & Tips - Top team selections for victory

Gary Emmerson

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Last updated: 20 Apr 2022

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Gary Emmerson 20 Apr 2022

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Zurich Classic of New Orleans takes place between 21-24 April
The team tournament takes place at the TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana
Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith are the defending champions
Who will come out on top and win the team title?

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Who will win the Zurich Classic? (Getty Images)

Eighty of the world's elite golfers team up in pairs for the latest event of the PGA Tour season as they vie for the trophy at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Which team will lift the title on Sunday?

Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith return to defend their title after victory for the Australians in 2021.

There are 13 past and present major winners in the field including Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Jason Day, Justin Rose, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Scottie Scheffler, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell.

These are the four teams we predict could win on Sunday.

Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa (Norway/USA)

Viktor Hovland started the year with a T4 place at the Abu Dhabi Championship and then victory at the Dubai Desert Classic.

The world number five golfer placed a solid T4 at the Genesis Invitational, finished runner-up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T9 at the Players Championship.

The Norwegian was T25 at this event last year.

Collin Morikawa has yet to win a tournament this year but has posted several excellent results.

He placed T5 at the Tournament of Champions, T2 at the Genesis Invitational, T9 at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play and 5th at the Masters.

The world number two ranked missed the cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last year.

Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith (Australia)

Marc Leishman has had fair results on the PGA Tour this year, placing T10 at the Tournament of Champions, T16 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T15 at the Genesis Invitational, and he has had two top-30 finishes.

Leishman won this tournament last year with Cameron Smith.

Smith is having his best year on the PGA Tour to date, winning the Tournament of Champions with a record score and claiming the Players Championship.

Additionally, he placed T4 at the Saudi International and was in contention to challenge Scottie Scheffler for victory at the Masters but had to settle for T3 overall.

Smith will be attempting to win this event for the third time after victories in 2017 and last year when he teamed up with Marc Leishman.

Sam Burns and Billy Horschel (USA)

Sam Burns has had an indifferent 2022, missing the cut at multiple events before bouncing back to form when he won the Valspar Championship for the second year running.

Other notable results include finishing T19 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, T9 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T26 at the Players Championship.

Burns missed the cut twice in his first two starts at this event. He placed T4 overall in 2021.

Billy Horschel has played solid golf on the PGA Tour, finishing T2 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, T6 at the Phoenix Open, T9 at WGC Dell Technologies Match Play, T11 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T16 at the Honda Classic.

Horschel has won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans twice in 2013 and 2018. He placed T4 with Sam Burns last year. Additionally, they finished runner-up at the QBE Shootout in December last year.

Martin Laird and Robert MacIntyre (Scotland)

The Scottish pairing of Martin Laird and Robert MacIntyre is the long-shot value bet in Louisiana this weekend.

Laird has had an inconsistent year but has put in some decent results. He finished T14 at the Phoenix Open and T29 at the Valero Texas Open.

MacIntyre missed the cut in his first two tournament starts of the year but has found his touch in recent months.

He placed T13 at the Ras al Khaimah Championship, T9 at the Ras al Khaimah Classic, T15 at the Genesis Invitational and T23 at the Masters.

The Format

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is played over four days, comprising eighty teams of two. The cut is the top 33 teams plus ties after round two.

Teams play Fourball for rounds one and three, where the players each play their own ball for the round, with the best score on each hole recorded.

Teams play Foursomes for rounds two and four, where players will rotate tee shots (one player will tee off on even-numbered holes and the other on odd-numbered holes) and strokes.

Player A will tee off, with Player B taking the next shot etc., until completion of the hole. The total strokes taken between the team will be the team's score for that hole.