The PGA TOUR heads to Louisiana this week for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. TPC Louisiana will be the host and is another Pete Dye design, measuring as a 7,400-yard par 72 with Bermuda grass greens. This will be a team event, as the 160 golfers in attendance this week will be split into 80 teams of two.
The top 33 teams and ties will advance through the cut after the second round. Scoring will also different this week, with the first and third round featuring a best-ball scoring format and the second and fourth round featuring alternate shot.
Below I have outlined my two favorite bets for the week.
All betting odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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Nick Taylor/Adam Hadwin to Win (+2800)
Both Taylor and Hadwin have had really strong seasons thus far, combining for seven top-10 finishes in 29 starts. Taylor’s year has been highlighted by his runner-up finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he nearly took down Scottie Scheffler. Hadwin finished 10th in that same event and went T7 at the Houston Open prior to that.
Both of these guys have played this event before, but not as teammates. Each have also had success, with Taylor posting a T9 finish here in 2010, while Hadwin finished T13 in the same year. Over their past 24 rounds in this field, Hadwin sits 30th in SG: Total, while Taylor ranks eighth. Taylor’s been getting it done in all facets of the game as well, sitting 14th in SG: Tee-to-Green and 13th in SG: Putting in that same time frame.
Despite Hadwin missing his last two cuts, he’s played really well all year and finished T13 at THE PLAYERS just three starts ago. Both of these guys are strong putters, and that will come in handy during the alternate shot rounds. I like backing these Canadians at 28/1 in this spot.
Aaron Rai/David Lipsky to Win (+6500)
Very quietly Aaron Rai is having a strong season, having made 12-of-16 cuts on the year with a T7 at the Houston Open back in November, and an additional pair of top-25’s at the Shriners and THE PLAYERS (another Pete Dye design). He’s also been one of the best ball-strikers in this field of late, ranking 10th in both SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Approach over his past 16 rounds. It’s been his poor putting that’s kept him from contending.
Lipsky on the other hand has been quite boom-or-bust, missing eight of his 16 cuts on the year, but he has flashed big upside with a T4 at the Sony Open and T10 at Mayakoba. Lipsky, much like Rai is an abysmal putter, but can hit the ball really well when he’s on.
Both of these guys took to this course really well last year in their debut as a team, finishing in a tie for fourth. They opened with a combined 61 in Round 1 and then did very well in alternate shot in round two, shooting a 67. This 65/1 number seems too high here after the success they showed last year, and is very much worth taking a flier on.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.