2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Top 10 Power Rankings

A pair of former teammates at UNLV are teaming up.

They’ve done so before when they won the team event at the 2017 Major Series of Putting. Montgomery also won the individual title that year and is already making a name for himself on the PGA Tour as a rookie as one of the best putters.

Montgomery ranks third in strokes gained per round putting (1.138). He’s also first in putting average (1.649) and first in one-putt percentage (49.14%).

Kitayama doesn’t have a singular statistical strength like that, but he’s a fairly well-rounded player when he’s on his game. Kitayama’s a fairly short guy but one who can generate a tremendous amount of power.

Kitayama picked off his first PGA Tour win this year in impressive fashion, winning a designated event like the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Montgomery has been knocking on the door with four top-10s this season. He debuted with solo third at the Fortinet Championship, which remains his high finish. He’s made three of the last four stroke play cuts and took second place in his four-man pool at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

This is Montgomery’s debut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Kitayama was here last year with Kiradech Aphibarnrat. They took T-39th.

Kitayama enters the week off of two missed cuts at the Masters and RBC Heritage. Prior, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the Match Play.

I see his success in that alternate-style event translating well to this week.