Standing as the lone PGA Tour official team event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is back for the 7th consecutive edition. This time, the field has been headed by seven of the top 20 players on the Official World Golf Ranking in the field at the TPC Louisiana. The highest-ranked is world number two, Rory McIlroy, who is playing for his fourth consecutive week.

The event will start on April 25th, with four balls played (the best shot) on Thursday and Saturday. Whereas, on Friday and Sunday, foursomes (alternate shots) will be played. A team of two will win the cup in Avondale and here are the top five that may be closer to that cup than anyone else!

Top 5 teams at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans

1. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry: The two decided to partner during a “drunken lunch” and needless to say, the Northern Irishman and the pro from Ireland will be one of the fan favorites at TPC Louisiana because both have plenty of Ryder Cup experience to back them up. Although Rory McIlroy will be making his debut and teaming up with Shane Lowry after their 2021 Ryder Cup loss.

Nonetheless, World No. 2 has been trying to get better at his game, and participating in the Zurich Classic was another way to amp up that process. Both Lowry and McIlroy have ten top-25 finishes between them so far in the 2024 season. As former partners, the Zurich Classic may suit them better.

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2. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele: The World No. 4 and World No. 8 have already won the Zurich Classic in 2022. That year, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay shot 29 under 259 to be declared as the winners. In 2023 as well, the duo was not far off a victory. They were fourth on the leaderboard last year and only four strokes away from successfully defending their title.

Coming to 2024, Schauffele has been playing far better than most on the PGA Tour. He has played nine events and was in the top 10 in seven. On the other hand, Cantlay is no less. The 32-year-old has had three top-15s and has been slowly amping his pace. When the two meet once again, it will surely be hard to keep them from winning.

3. Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama: At last week’s Masters, Collin Morikawa was tied for three and seven strokes away from his first Masters victory. Moreover, before the 88th Masters, Morikawa had three top-15 performances. Now add to that his playing partner, Kurt Kitayama.

The Japanese pro has been consistently trying to finish inside the top of the leaderboard, carding four top 25s so far. Last year, Morikawa missed the cut when he was playing with Max Homa and Kitayama made it to T19 with Taylor Montgomery. Maybe this year, the two Asians will do the unexpected and win the Zurich Classic for the first time.

4. Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick: The Fitzpatrick siblings are one of three other sibling pairs (Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard and Pierceson and Parker Coody) at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. While Fitzpatrick is active on the PGA Tour and qualified because of his various victories.

Alex Fitzpatrick doesn’t have a PGA Tour membership yet and will be participating on a sponsor’s exemption. Unlike the younger brother, the 2-time PGA Tour winner has been playing well, finishing in the top 15s four times. In 2023, the brothers debuted at the Zurich Classic and finished T19. This year, with better form, the two might take a jump to be crowned the winners.

5. Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala: Will Zalatoris will be playing the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after a year of missing it due to an injury. On the other hand, Sahith Theegala will be making his third consecutive appearance at TPC Louisiana. Both of them have been performing better as of late.

Between them, they have nine top-15 finishes and both have been runner-ups at least once in the 2024 season so far. Theegala at the Sentry and Zalatoris at the Genesis Invitational. At Avonlade, the two might just change the trajectory and win it all.

Defending champions and prize money of the Zurich Classic

The 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans champions, David Riley and Nick Hardy, are back on course to defend their title. Last year, they kept Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor two strokes behind to win the event. And this year, as the format follows, the highest-ranked player of the two on the OWGR, Hardy (174th), once again chose Riley (239th) to partner up with him.

Last year, the two bagged $1,242,700 ($2,485,400 for a team) and 400 FedExCup points each. However, in the 2024 season, the prize money has been elevated and is up from $8.6 million last year to $8.9 million now. Thus, the winner will also get an increased share of the purse, which will be $1.602 million each, which is $3,204,000 for a team.

Out of the 80 teams, who will come out on top and take home the Zurich Classic of New Orleans title? Share your predictions in the comments.