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2021 Zurich Classic: Groups to Watch Thursday, Friday

By Tim Letcher

AVONDALE, LOUISIANA - APRIL 28: Jon Rahm of Spain and Ryan Palmer of the United States pose with the trophy after winning during the final round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 28, 2019 in Avondale, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, LOUISIANA - APRIL 28: Jon Rahm of Spain and Ryan Palmer of the United States pose with the trophy after winning during the final round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 28, 2019 in Avondale, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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The Zurich Classic takes place this week in New Orleans. It’s a unique event on the PGA Tour that features tour pros paired with other tour pros. It’s a nice break in the regular schedule and brings a bit more interest to an event that might not otherwise receive it.

There are a number of interesting pairings, and groupings, for the event’s first two days. Here are the top five groups for Thursday and Friday.

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Collin Morikawa/Matthew Wolff; Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith (Thursday, 1:44 ET; Friday, 9:53 ET) – A couple of very interesting pairings here. Morikawa and Wolff are the young guns for sure. But Wolff has struggled much of this season, so will Morikawa have to carry him? Leishman and Smith will be among the favorites this week. Leishman and Smith both placed inside the Top 10 at the Masters a couple of weeks ago and are both playing well.

Ryan Palmer/Jon Rahm; Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson (Thursday, 1:57 ET; Friday, 10:04 ET) – Palmer and Rahm are the defending champions and the favorites again this week. Rahm’s Sunday rally at the Masters showed just how good he really is. Palmer has had a very good season on tour as well. Rose led the Masters for much of the first two rounds before faltering late. Stenson has had his struggles this spring but looked better at Augusta.

Scottie Scheffler/Bubba Watson; Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (Thursday, 8:39 ET; Friday, 2:08 ET) – The Scheffler/Watson pairing should be interesting. Most groups with Bubba in them become interesting. They don’t seem like a pair that should partner together, but sometimes those work out. Cantlay and Schauffele will be among the pairings to beat this week. Cantlay has struggled lately but is still a very talented player. And Schauffele is among the best in the world, period.

Cameron Champ/Tony Finau; Sam Burns/Billy Horschel (Thursday, 8:52; Friday, 2:19 ET) – There probably won’t be a group that’s longer off the tee than the Champ/Finau pairing. They will be fun to watch, if nothing else. Horschel had a solid Masters and was the winner at the WGC-Match Play in March. Burns is very talented and playing with Horschel could be beneficial to him.

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Tyrrell Hatton/Danny Willett; Byeong Hun An/Sungjae Im (Thursday, 9:18; Friday, 2:41 ET) – Hatton has already had a solid season and that should continue this week. Willett missed the cut at the Masters, but bounced back with a T18 at Harbour Town last week. An is struggling, missing four cuts in a row on tour. Luckily, he is paired with one of the most talented young players in the world. Im had a bad Masters, missing the cut after a T2 there in November. But he was T13 last week at Harbour Town.

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