2024 Zurich Classic Odds: Golf Betting Preview & Breakdown

by Joe Cistaro (joeycis) Last Updated 2024-04-23 18:55:37

This week, Joe Cistaro breaks down PGA golf betting tips for the 2024 Zurich Classic. You can use the PrizePicks referral code GRINDERS to claim a $100 deposit bonus today!

The PGA TOUR gives us a change of pace with the 2024 Zurich Classic. After weeks of watching Scottie Scheffler dominate golf, players will team up in a different format in Louisiana. The Zurich Classic moved to a team format in 2017 but continues to represent an opportunity for players to gain status on TOUR. With exemptions available for the winners, the players that are less established will look to take advantage of a less-stacked field. Let’s take a look at betting odds, the field, and the course.

Zurich Classic Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

At the time of this writing – April 23rd – you can find these odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. The below list features all golfers priced at 50/1 or better.

Here are the recent winners of the Zurich Classic:

• 2023 – Nick Hardy/Davis Riley (-30)
• 2022 – Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (-29)
• 2021 – Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith (-20)
• 2019 – Ryan Palmer/Jon Rahm (-26)
• 2018 – Billy Horschel/Scott Piercy (-22)
• 2017 – Jonas Blixt/Cameron Smith (-27)

Normally a weaker field, the Zurich Classic features some of the world’s best. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will team up to contend with former winners Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, as well as other PGA TOUR pros such as Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, Sahith Theegala, and Billy Horschel.

The field is comprised of 80 teams, with the top 33 teams and ties making the cut for the weekend.

2024 Zurich Classic Betting Preview

• Course: TPC Louisiana
• Date: April 25 – 28
• Par: 72
• Yardage: 7,400
• Greens: Bermuda/Poa Overseed

Normally, I focus on course layout and statistical modeling for this portion of the article. That said, with the Zurich Classic being so unique, my approach will be a bit more anecdotal, highlighting some course notes with recent form. With the unique format, however, we will likely struggle to model our way into a winning pair like Davis Riley and Nick Hardy — both missed the cut at the RBC Heritage in 2023 before winning the Zurich Classic the next week.

Best Ball on Thursday and Saturday. On Thursday, teams will play Best Ball, which means both players play their own ball the entire round, with the team carding the best score on each hole. These are the scoring days. With both players taking aim at flags, we will see teams do the bulk of their scoring on Thursday and Saturday.

Alternate Shot on Friday and Sunday. On Friday and Sunday, teams will play alternate shots and card their collective score. Teams will select a player to tee off on all of the odd-numbered holes, while the other player takes care of the evens. After the tee shot, players will alternate each shot until they hole out for a score. Players will not score as well on either day unless somebody gets particularly hot with a putter. Last season, Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor went really low on Sunday, as Taylor found a very hot putter.

Birdies, birdies, and more birdies. While making a statistical model for this event is certainly tricky, identifying pairs with high BOB% seems to make sense for the Thursday/Saturday rounds. Further, if we are modeling for this event, we are looking at players who are recently dialed in with their irons and create the most opportunities at birdie.

Pete Dye demands a great approach game. No surprises here. SG: Approach is king, as per usual. One, if not both, of the players on a team must leave their partner in close with several opportunities at par. Pete Dye courses make players think about every shot. Players that hit the most greens should find themselves in contention together on Sunday.

The par 3s are very tough. All of the par 3s are over 200 yards with water looming. Three of the four par 3s are odd-numbered holes, so teams can opt to have the better player for this type of hole tee off on 75% of them. We will likely see the better-proximity player taking these tee shots.

Fresh off of a win in Puntacana, Billy Horschel returns to an event that has brought him plenty of success. Horschel won this event as an individual and then won with Scott Piercy in 2018. Horschel knows the course and clearly looks to keep this on his schedule each season. He will not play with Sam Burns, as Burns is expecting a child and will have fellow gator, Tyson Alexander, step in for the week.

Oh, Canada!. Corey Conners will pair with Taylor Pendrith. Adam Hadwin will pair with Nick Taylor again after their 2nd-place finish in 2023. Taylor and Hadwin nearly chased down the leaders on Sunday with a remarkable 63 in the alternate-shot format. This was not the norm for the Zurich Classic, as players normally do a bulk of their scoring on Thursday and Saturday. Hadwin and Taylor clearly have a strong bond off of the course and will look to take the leap into the top spot this week.

The winnings for this event are very real. Don’t let the meaning of this event get misconstrued. While some players will look to have a good time for a week with a buddy in New Orleans, the payoff for a win here will be pretty big for certain players. The winning duo receives a 2-year exemption on TOUR, spots in THE PLAYERS Championship and Tournament of Champions, spots in the PGA Championship, and also spots in other invitationals. Players do not receiving OWGR points for this victory or an invitation to the Masters. Prizes are paid in two-spot splits. So, the winning team will share 1st and 2nd place, the runners-up will share 3rd and 4th place, etc.

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Golfers To Watch This Week

Unless mentioned otherwise, all Strokes Gained statistics will be referenced over the player’s previous 24 rounds on the PGA TOUR.

Sahith Theegala / Will Zalatoris +1000

Just behind the two tournament favorites, Theegala and Zalatoris offer quite a dynamic, young pairing. Both players have notched their first wins on the PGA TOUR over the last couple of seasons. While both golfers are not concerned about status, their individual skill sets might form together well for the unique format at the Zurich Classic.

Zalatoris ranks 9th in the field in opportunities. Theegala ranks 1st in putting. If the team can coordinate their Friday and Sunday tees correctly, we could witness plenty of Zalatoris approaches handed off to Theegala’s exceptional putter. This tournament is often won by teams that embrace the fun format. We are not going to find a pair in the field with more exuberance.

Tom Hoge / Maverick McNealy +2500

Hoge remains a model darling with his exceptional approach play. He ranks 1st in opportunities and 4th in BOB% but is less consistent with the flatstick.

Enter Maverick McNealy. McNealy ranks 22nd in putting in this week’s field and should be a great complement to Hoge on the alternate-shot days. Hoge will give Mav plenty of looks to make birdie throughout those two days. If both players can find something on the heavy-scoring Thursday and Saturday rounds, they could be in contention on Sunday.

If your one-and-done league includes this tournament, it likely forces you to choose only one player. McNealy is very likely available to you up to this point and would be a sneaky way to get exposure to this team with great potential for an outright victory.

Adam Hadwin / Nick Taylor +4000

This pairing excelled at this event in 2023. Their Sunday performance was incredible and nearly record-setting. The team had two additional chances at birdie that nearly fell and would have forced a playoff with eventual winners Nick Hardy and Davis Riley.

Hadwin ranks 22nd in opportunities, while Taylor can get white-hot with his putter. Taylor ranks 9th and has shown on more than one occasion that he can drop clutch putts when a tournament is on the line. If this team can arrange a proper sequence to get the putter in Taylor’s hands at close range, expect an incredible score.

Keith Mitchell / Joel Dahmen +4000

We don’t have to go much deeper than narrative for this pairing. Dahmen will remain a fan favorite on the PGA TOUR as long as he keeps his status. One of the best ways for him to keep status is to book a win. Mitchell would be happy to pair with a friend and keep his tournament schedule full.

Narratives aside, both players rank in the top 3 in opportunities over their last 24 rounds. The team should be able to produce plenty of looks at birdie. Therein lies the issue: both players are ice cold with their putters. Mitchell ranks 135th in putting, while Dahmen ranks 158th. For this pairing to flourish, somebody will have to make putts. What will surely be a fun pairing will need to benefit from a high volume of opportunities and not the quality of their work on the greens.

Image Credit: Getty Images