The PGA Tour’s only team event does not usually carry the weight of the season. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans, set for TPC Louisiana from April 23-26, is typically a breather between a run of majors and big-money signature events. But this year, for Brooks Koepka, it is something else entirely.

Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour in January 2026 under the Returning Member Program, rejoining after three years with LIV Golf. The terms were clear: no sponsors’ exemptions into signature events, no FedEx Cup bonus money, and a commitment of $5 million to charity. He accepted those conditions. Months later, he has yet to win. He also missed the field at the RBC Heritage despite being the first alternate. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is now one of his clearest opportunities to change that trajectory.

The Zurich Classic has been the Tour’s only team event since 2017, when it shifted from individual stroke play to a two-man format after nearly 60 years as a conventional tournament. Teams play two rounds of four-ball and two rounds of foursomes across the week, which means chemistry matters as much as talent. One off day from a single player can quickly derail a team’s chances. For Koepka, this format can work in his favor. He returns to this event for the first time since 2019 and arrives in steady form, with multiple recent top-20 finishes, including a T12 at the Masters Tournament. He is not out of form, but he still needs to convert.

Koepka won the PGA Championship in 2023, his fifth major title, and moved from 44th to 13th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is currently sitting at the 125th World Rank. LIV Golf events do not carry Official World Golf Ranking points, so that stretch did not contribute to his ranking. Since returning, he has not won, and without access to signature events, the opportunities to climb quickly are limited. A Zurich win does not award OWGR points due to the team format, but it can open the door to higher-value events where points are available.

His partner also serves as an advantage and gives him a real shot at winning the Zurich Classic. Shane Lowry won this event in 2024 alongside Rory McIlroy, who is not in the field this week. Koepka and Lowry are close friends, and both are Srixon staff players, using the same ball model, which matters in foursomes where they alternate shots with a single ball. In a format where trust and familiarity can decide outcomes, Koepka has given himself a solid pairing.

A win at the Zurich could give Koepka a two-year PGA Tour exemption and access to all remaining signature events this season. To name them, the Cadillac Championship, the Truist Championship, the Memorial, and the Travelers Championship, all of which carry $20 million purses and elevated FedEx Cup points. Additionally, each winner at TPC Louisiana is also exempt on Tour through at least 2028 and earns $1,372,750 alongside 400 FedEx Cup points. However, without a win, Brooks Koepka would head into the back half of the season with his access to the biggest stages still locked.

The distinction is not only about the prize money; it also lies in the opportunity to spend the rest of 2026 participating in regular field events versus competing in a tournament where the best players on the Tour actually participate. This event has a history of providing crucial chances for players in need. For instance, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak both won here last year, securing their first victories as a team on the Tour. Following that success, Griffin went on to win two more times and earned a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. The Zurich Classic has a unique way of altering player trajectories, and Koepka could undoubtedly benefit from this opportunity.

However, Brooks Koepka is not the only player this week whose stakes at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans extend beyond the leaderboard.

The Fitzpatricks have their own reasons to win

Alex Fitzpatrick is 27, has been a professional since 2022, and has spent his career working his way up through the lower tiers of European golf. He earned his DP World Tour opportunities through a combination of the HotelPlanner Tour and limited starts. It is a long route, the one most players take for years before anyone notices them. But this year is different.

In March, he won the Hero Indian Open, his first DP World Tour title, coming from six shots back on the final day. The win moved him to sixth in the Race to Dubai standings, where the top 10 players at the end of the season earn PGA Tour cards for the following year.

Perhaps this is why the week matters the most to him. A Zurich win hands both members of the winning team a two-year PGA Tour exemption. And for Alex, that is four years of runway on the biggest tour in the world, arriving at a moment when his form is the best it has ever been. His brother Matt, ranked third in the world, is a two-time winner in 2026 already. He does not need any of this. Perhaps Matt is here only because that’s what brothers do.

The contrast with Koepka is quiet, but it is there. One player is a five-time major champion trying to rebuild access to the Tour’s biggest events, while the other is trying to get into the Tour for the first time. However, both of them need the same result on Sunday, and let’s see who gets that.