Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Teams, format and key questions about PGA Tour’s team event
Matt Fitzpatrick (right) will partner younger brother Alex Fitzpatrick in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Who is playing at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans? How does the format work? We answer some of the key questions about the PGA Tour’s team event…
What is the format?
The 160-man field is split into 80 two-man teams, with the top 80 available in the PGA Tour rankings getting to pick their playing partner and all involved having to either hold PGA Tour playing status or get chosen as a sponsor’s exemption.
The 80 two-man teams feature in fourballs during the opening round, where players each play their own ball and the best score on each hole from the pair goes towards the team total, then the format switches to foursomes play for the second round.
Sam Burns and Billy Horschel will partner each other once again this week in New Orleans
Foursomes sees each team use one ball, with one player hitting tee shots on all the odd-numbered holes and the other on the even-numbered ones. The players then hit alternate shots, with the total strokes taken resulting in the team’s score for that hole.
The top 33 teams and ties progress to the weekend, where the teams revert to fourballs for the third round and foursomes for Sunday’s final round. Should the tournament end in a tie after 72 holes, the formats will switch between the two different formats for each hole required for the sudden-death playoff.
What is the prize?
The players in the winning team will both receive a two-year winner’s exemption on the PGA Tour and will be eligible to play in events such as the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The Players, along with entry into next month’s PGA Championship.
FedExCup points and prize money will be awarded to teams making the cut, with each team member receiving an equal share for their final position.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says he is excited about raising the competitive bar with the best players in the world on the tour playing together more often.
Each player in the winning team will earn 400 FedExCup points and $1,242,700 prize money, with the rest of the $8,600,000 purse awarded to teams based on combining every two positions from the distribution table for a standard PGA Tour event.
Which players are involved?
Defending champions Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay are the two highest-ranked players in action, with the world Nos 4 and 5 together again as they look to build on impressive performances at the RBC Heritage last week.
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Max Homa – a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season – partners two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, while WGC-Dell Technologies Match Player winner Sam Burns teams up with Billy Horschel.
Last week’s RBC Heritage winner Matt Fitzpatrick will partner younger brother Alex, with Tom Kim making his tournament debut alongside Presidents Cup teammate Si Woo Kim.
Matt Fitzpatrick beat defending champion Jordan Spieth on the third hole of a play-off to win the RBC Heritage.
Who has previously impressed?
The competition only switched to a team event in 2017, making it the first official PGA Tour team tournament since the 1981 Walt Disney World National Team Championship.
Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith were the first team winners, after beating Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner in a play-off at TPC Louisiana, while Horschel – the 2013 champion when it was still a stroke play event – partnered Scott Piercy to victory a year later .
Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer prevailed in the 2019 contest and Smith became a two-time winner in 2021 after partnering fellow future LIV golfer Marc Leishman, with Cantlay and Schauffele back to defend their title after claiming a two-shot victory last year.
Watch highlights from the final round of the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman impressed
When is the tournament on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports will show over 30 hours of live action across the four tournament days, with early coverage beginning on the red button from 4pm on Thursday and Friday ahead of full coverage from 8pm.
Weekend coverage begins at 1.45pm on both days on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of the main coverage getting underway at 6pm and offering five hours of live action from each of the final two rounds.
The PGA Tour action is part of a triple-header of live golf to enjoy this week, with the DP World Tour’s ISPS Handa Championship and the Chevron Championship – the opening women’s major of the year – also live on Sky Sports Golf.
Watch the Zurich Classic of New Orleans throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins with Featured Groups on Thursday from 1.30pm on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event.
