Zurich Classic: One of The Most Fun Events All Season

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans has become one of the PGA TOUR’s most must-see events, just a year after its team format made a splashy debut. With an even bigger field this week, it’s only getting better.

The Zurich Classic could be one of the most fun events all season. Just look at some of the teams. How can you not want to watch? A lot of the pairings are just going to be just plain fun. Yes, eventually someone will win, and two guys will have team bragging rights for the year. But in the four days of play, it should be entertaining.

In the top spot, there’s the “Roll Tide” team, World No. 2 Justin Thomas partnering with Bud Cauley. Both went to the University of Alabama, and they will certainly be up to trash talking any opponents.

In the bet that keeps on giving Jordan Spieth is once again paired with Ryan Palmer. They played together last year after Spieth lost a golf course bet to Palmer’s caddie. The wager was, if Palmer’s caddie, James Edmundson, beat Spieth during a round of golf, Spieth would pair with Palmer at the new Zurich Classic in 2017. No strokes were given.

It wasn’t a secret match since both Palmer and Spieth’s caddie, Michael Greller, were also playing. Edmundson must have been really motivated because he beat Spieth by a stroke, and Spieth is pretty good. The Spieth/Palmer duo finished fourth last year, and that was good enough for both of them to continue the partnership in 2018.

In the old guys can still play two-some, Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly, now both PGA Tour Champions eligible, are picking up where they left off last year representing Wisconsin cheese heads. They have played several times in the QBE (Shark) Shootout and were winners there in 2009. They may not be the longest hitters, but they may be the craftiest.

Team connections at the Zurich Classic run deep

Jason Day will play with up-and-coming Aussie star Ryan Ruffels. Ruffels is playing primarily on the PGA Tour Latin America circuit, trying to work his way to the PGA Tour. He was in Zurich last year with Kyle Stanley. Once again, it’s a good opportunity to watch Ruffels, who says he is both a long and straight hitter. Day has one victory this season, the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell form the early Ryder Cup hopeful pairing. Neither of them can be underestimated by anyone. Poulter, as any golf fan knows, is a great partner. His playoff victory at Houston was amazing, got him another two-year exemption for the PGA Tour and gained him entry into The Masters and The Players.

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Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson are the all-Olympic medal team. Well, two of the three. The third Olympic medalist, Matt Kuchar, is playing with Bubba Watson who won Zurich as a stroke play event in 2011.

The former and current North Florida stars, David Duval and Jim Furyk are playing on sponsor’s exemptions. It will be interesting to see how they work together. Duval, for those who didn’t pay attention to golf before ten years ago, is a former No.1 in the world, and he had to take down Tiger Woods to do it. Furyk is coming back from a shoulder injury.

Jon Rahm is playing with half of the Bryan brothers trick-shot team, Wesley Bryan. At least we know if Rahm gets in trouble during alternate shot, Bryan will be able to manufacture some kind of shot out. Rahm should be good on this Pete Dye design since Dye designed the University of Arizona course where Rahm practiced and played in college. Bryan won last year’s tournament at Hilton Head, another Pete Dye course, so he’s ready for another dose of railroad ties and pot bunkers.

Next: Zurich Classic Power Rankings

There’s a former U.S. Amateur winners team in Colt Knost and Ricky Barnes, an all-Spanish team of Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello and two all-South African teams in Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen and Retief Goosen and Tyrone Van Aswegan.

The format is Thursday, Best Ball; Friday, Alternate Shot; Saturday, Best Ball, and Sunday, Alternate Shot.

If the tournament would throw a modified scramble into the mix in exchange for one of the alternate shot rounds, like on Saturday, we’d see more birdies and eagles, and even lower scores. Who doesn’t like to watch that? Talk about lighting up social media. A few sub-60 rounds should do it.

Alternate shot is hard to watch and too hard to play. And if you have one particular player you like, you only get to see him hit half the shots. But give the PGA Tour players credit for signing up for the hardest format in golf for two days of the tournament. It’s good Ryder Cup practice if nothing else. And some of the pairings should be a blast.

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