Weekly Preview: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

TPC Louisiana
Avondale, LA

The PGA Tour heads to Louisiana for this week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Before we get to that, I want to spend a little time on Jordan Spieth, who won the RBC Heritage this past week. The win came out of nowhere, as Spieth had not been playing well and even missed the cut at the Masters, where he's had a ton of success. His win further emphasizes that even those who hit a rough patch on Tour are rarely that far off their game. It's often just one small adjustment that makes the difference in a given week. I know, that doesn't make predicting winners any easier, but I've never stated this is easy. It's just something to keep in mind the next time you count out a guy for missing the cut the previous week.

As for this week, we've got yet another wrinkle, which is the team format. I love how the PGA Tour has evolved over the past 20 years. Once there was just an endless sea of events that all looked the same between the majors, but they decided to do something about that by introducing a number of events that make the stretch between majors not just bearable but fun. Those innovations have included the Match Play, this team event and several WGC tournaments. They even moved two of the biggest events on the calendar to provide more spacing around the majors.

You'll see this in a bit, but it's easy to get drawn toward the big-name pairings, and those teams don't often succeed. In one-and-done leagues, the picks depend on how your league operates.

All odds via golfodds.com as of 10:00 PM ET Tuesday.

LAST YEAR

Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman shot a final-round 69 on their way to a victory over Charl Schwartzel and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

FAVORITES

Viktor Hovland/Collin Morikawa (8-1)

The first word that comes to mind here is ridiculous. I mentioned this past week that a win bet on anything less than say 18-1 is a stretch, let alone anything below double digits. Factor in what I just wrote about not getting pulled in by the big names and I almost feel like being the house and taking all bets on this pairing. Morikawa and Hovland are two of the best players in the field, but this price is outrageous. Both have played this event, with one missing the cut and the other finishing T25.

Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (8-1)

The same holds true here -- there's just no value. However, with this pairing you at least have one guy who is on top of his game in Cantlay and one guy you have played fairly well here in Schauffele. With that said, this number is just way too low. The "super teams" haven't won this event very often. In fact, you have to go back to 2015, when Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson were the last star-studded winners.

Scottie Scheffler/Ryan Palmer (12-1)

The odds still aren't good, but at least you're getting the hottest golfer on the planet in Scheffler and another who has won this event before. Palmer is obviously keeping the odds in check, as he isn't a big name with the bettors, but if I'm being honest, I like the number on this team the best of the three teams we've covered to this point.

THE NEXT TIER

Tommy Fleetwood/Sergio Garcia (18-1)

I would not go with either of these guys by themselves, but together I could see them doing some work. Fleetwood has been good in spots over the past month, and perhaps getting a break in the form of a teammate might be exactly what he needs. Garcia's game is not in great shape at the moment, but he does thrive in team format, so perhaps he finds his best game.

Harold Varner III/Bubba Watson (25-1)

This is the type of pairing I'm looking for when placing a win bet. At least one player is in form and at least one player is a vet who knows how to close. In this case specifically, Varner now likely has the talent edge, but he needs some help getting across the finish line. Perhaps a partner, one that's been there several times, can help him seal the deal.

Tyrrell Hatton/Danny Willett (35-1)

This is another type of pairing that I'm looking for, one that has a couple guys who have played well in short stretches, but the consistency hasn't been there. Both Hatton and Willett have found themselves near the top of the leaderboard in recent weeks, but they've both faltered at some point. Perhaps the support of a teammate will be enough for them to seal the deal.

LONG SHOTS

Martin Laird/Robert MacIntyre (50-1)

The same theory holds true for long shots -- you need a good mix that can hang around and maybe strike in the final round. MacIntyre has the talent to keep up with most guys and Laird has the experience on this course at this event. Laird has two top-10s in his past three starts here, albeit with a different partner.

Scott Brown/Kevin Kisner (80-1)

I know, it's tough to look at a team that has a guy who has been a non-factor on the PGA Tour in a few years, but this team has played together at this event for a while and they've had some success, including a runner-up in 2017 and a T5 in 2019.

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-owned Pick: Ryan Palmer - This is where how your league operates comes into play. If it's like mine, you can pick one of the two players and get credit for the team result while not burning the other player. If that's the case in your league, then Palmer is going to be the most popular player in the field as you also get Scottie Scheffler.

Moderately-owned Pick: Viktor Hovland - Though I'm firmly against taking a power duo, this team is going to be popular. The question then becomes, which player do you go with if you haven't used either. Though they both have huge upsides, Morikawa probably has more value down the line because of his performance at the majors.

Lightly-owned Pick: Danny Willett - If you're going the sleeper route, you might as well take someone you won't be needing down the road, and since the Masters has past, Willett is your guy. If both these guys play like they have over the past month, I think they have a shot to win.

Buyer Beware: Any big-name duo - It seems so easy that pairing up two elite players would be enough to pull out a win, but that's not often the case. In fact, you're almost better off avoiding any big name...unless you can get away with using someone you'd have no use for the rest of the way.

Last Week: Corey Conners - T12 - $140,667

Season Total: $6,005,427

This Week: Ryan Palmer - This pick is just too easy. The only thing I don't like about it is that probably 90 percent of my league will be on it. I've yet to use Scheffler in this particular league, so the prospect of getting him twice is too much to pass up. For those in leagues where you burn both players, I would not go this route. I'd probably go with Leishman/Smith on the high end or Lowry/Poulter a little further down the line.

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range: Scottie Scheffler/Ryan Palmer ($11,500)
Middle Range: Tyrrell Hatton/Danny Willett ($10,400)
Lower Range: Martin Laird/Robert MacIntyre ($8,600)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

Last Week: Matt Kuchar - T3

Streak: 1

This Week: Ryan Palmer - Again, there's no way Scheffler is missing a cut right now, teammate or not. If Palmer is off this week, Scheffler is good enough to drag him across the cut line. If you have to use both guys, I might consider the Kisner team in this format. It's risky, but you're only burning one guy you might not even need the rest of the way.