Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Everything you need to know
We’ve got something different on the PGA Tour this week, with a two-man team event at TPC Louisiana!
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans provides something different on the PGA Tour, with a team aspect to the competition.
The tournament has been a part of the PGA Tour since 1938, and originated as a regular stroke play tournament. 2017 saw the change in format, with the Zurich Classic of New Orleans becoming a two-man team event.
TPC Louisiana is the host venue, and has been since Zurich took over the sponsorship reigns in 2005.
Nick Hardy and Davis Riley (below) are the defending champions of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, thanks to breaking both tournament scoring records at TPC Louisiana in 2023.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele were the year before, while Cameron Smith and Billy Horschel have both won the event twice in recent years.
Zurich Classic of New Orleans: The Details
- Dates: April 25-28, 2024
- Course: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana
- Par: 72
- Length: 7,425 yards
- Prize purse: $8.9 million
- Defending champion: Nick Hardy and Davis Riley (-30)
Everything you need to know about the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Check out our coverage of the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans – from frequently asked questions, to the competition’s unique heritage, and how the course is shaping up – by reading and clicking on some of the links below.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
When and where will the Zurich Classic of New Orleans take place?
The 2024 edition of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans will take place between April 25-28, and will be played at TPC Louisiana.
Who won last season’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
Nick Hardy and Davis Riley were the victors at TPC Louisiana last year. The pair broke the tournament records for both aggregate score (258) and score to par (-30)
What is the history around the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans started out as the Crescent City Open in 1938, with Englishman Harry Cooper securing the inaugural title.
The event has had a number of different names due to sponsorship reasons, eventually settling on the Zurich Classic of New Orleans moniker in 2005.
That conicided with the tournament moving to TPC Louisiana, its current home. Prior to the switch, a number of different venues had been used, including City Park, Lakewood Country Club and English Turn.
2017 saw a change to the event, with the Zurich Classic of New Orleans moving from a regular stroke play event into a two-man team competition. Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith were the first pair to win under the new format.
Over the tournament’s long history, a whole host of big names have won the tournament. Byron Nelson, Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw are among those that have won the event twice,
How do golfers qualify to play at Harbor Town?
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is one of the more unique events on the PGA Tour, with 80 two-man teams in action.
A unique event requires a different way of qualifying to be in the field. Those golfers who commit to playing in the tournament, and are at the top of the PGA Tour Priority Ranking, get to choose their partner.
Each playing partner must also have PGA Tour status, unless they have been invited to play in the tournament by a sponsor.
Who is in the field for the Zurich Classic?
The field will feature 160 players, playing in 80 two-man teams. There are some world class partnerships featuring this week in Louisiana.
Having played together successfully at both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, and won this event in 2022, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will team up once again. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will provide another blockbuster pairing.
Two sets of twins will also feature this week in Louisiana. Pierceson and Parker Coody, along with Denmark’s Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard, will all play this week.
Once again, Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick will team up, while last week’s winner in Puntacana, Billy Horschel, will play alongside Tyson Alexander.
What is the format for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
Much like the major international team events, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans makes the most of both the fourball and foursome formats.
This week, the first and third round will feature the fourball format with the best score from each pairing to count towards the team score. Expect some low scoring on Thursday and Saturday!
The second and final rounds will feature the foursomes format, so the more accurate pairings will look to score well to gain some ground.
Is there a cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will feature a cut after the second round of action. Less than half the field will make it through to the weekend at TPC Louisiana.
The top 33 pairs and ties will play the weekend’s two rounds, and battle it out for the title come Sunday evening.
What are the odds for the tournament?
Betting for the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans is live via bet365.
Our betting tips for the week are live. You can check out who we think will take the title here.
Can LIV Golf players play at TPC Louisiana?
No, they cannot. With the Zurich Classic being an official PGA Tour event, we won’t be seeing any LIV Golf players teeing it up in Avondale.
How can I watch the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
The event will be broadcast around the world by various broadcast partners. In the United Kingdom, action from all four days of the tournament will be shown live on Sky Sports – with the following schedule:
- Thursday 25th – Sky Sports Golf from 1pm
- Friday 26th – Sky Sports Golf from 2:15pm
- Saturday 27th – Sky Sports Golf from 4pm, Sky Sports Main Event from 10:30pm
- Sunday 28th – Sky Sports Golf from 4pm
Comprehensive coverage, including live scoring, shot-by-shot data, and player highlights, will be available on the PGA Tour’s website and app.
How much will the winner take home from TPC San Antonio?
The winners of the tournament will pocket a cool $1,286,050 each – over a quarter of the $8.9 million prize purse.
Will you be watching this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans? What do you think to the format? Who do you think will win the title? Let us know with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
