AVONDALE, LOUISIANA – APRIL 27: Ben Griffin of the United States and Andrew Novak of the United States pose for a photo with the trophy on day four of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on April 27, 2025 in Avondale, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
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Coming off the heels of a thrilling 2026 RBC Heritage, a signature event, the PGA Tour goes in a different direction with a fun two-man event with the Zurich Classic. The Zurich Classic is played at the TPC Louisiana, and this course is a Par 72 and measures at 7,425 yards in length.
Before taking a look at the odds for the next tournament on the PGA Tour schedule, it is time to take a look at past champions at this tournament.
2025 – Andrew Novak/Ben Griffin
2024 – Shane Lowry/Rory McIlroy
2023 – Nick Hardy/Davis Riley
2022 – Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele
Will Griffin and Novak be able to repeat as champions in 2026? Let’s take a look at the golfers who are the odds-on favorites to win. These odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook, but finding the best odds for your plays is always encouraged.
Zurich Classic Odds:
- Fitzpatrick/Fitzpatrick (+1175)
- Lowry/Koepka (+1550)
- Yellamaraju/Gerard (+1750)
- Novak/Griffin (+1850)
- Thorbjornsen/Vilips (+1950)
When it comes to picks for a tournament like the Zurich, you have to pick your spots when it comes to plays. This is a team event, and the format is worth mentioning. Here is the rundown of the format:
Rounds 1 and 3: Best Ball
Rounds 2 and 4: Alternating Shot
With the format out of the way, finding golfers who work well together is also something which has to be noted. Golf is typically an individual sport, and when you throw another player into the mix things can get dicey quickly.
Nonetheless, as I always do, I like to start with my favorite and long shot picks for the tournament. The favorite pick is the pick I like the most for an outright winner. For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. It is a long shot pick for a reason, and finding those can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Here are my favorite and long shot picks for the Zurich Classic:
Favorite: Fitzpatrick/Fitzpatrick (+1175)
Long Shot: Rai/Theegala (+2150)
I love to pick brothers in this event, and while they might not always win, they usually place in the Top 10. Anyone who has a sibling who also golfs knows you can say things to them you couldn’t say to another professional. Believe it or not, going with groups who are comfortable with one another matters.
As for Rai and Theegala, Rai is playing well at the moment and Theegala certainly has struggled at times. Hopefully in a team format they can work well together.
The next step are the Top 5, Top 10, and Top 20 plays for the upcoming tournament. I provide two picks in each category, in hopes of maximizing our return.
Top 5
Novak/Griffin (+305)
Fitzpatrick/Fitzpatrick (+210)
As I said about brothers, I’ll take the Fitzpatricks to at least place in the Top 5. Matt Fitzpatrick is coming off the win in Hilton Head, SC and is one of the hottest golfers in the game right now. Novak and Griffin won the event last year, so I’ll bank on that experience to have them finish well.
Top 10
Koepka/Lowry (+126)
Rai/Theegala (+158)
If there was a group I’d love to have mic’d up during this event, it would be Koepka and Lowry. Lowry won the event two years ago with Rory McIlroy, but how will he play with Koepka? There is a lot on the line for Brooks Koepka, and I’m sure he’d like to win an event to help him qualify for signature events, and more, in the future.
Top 20
Horschel/Hoge (+142)
Smotherman/Putnam (+106)
The Horschel and Hoge pick is a gut pick for two players who have had recent success on the PGA Tour. In regards to Smotherman, he finished T2 at the Cognizant and T13 at the Players. He’s been a roller coaster ride this season, but hopefully he and Putnam can find their way into a Top 20 finish.
For bonus plays, these are picks which I don’t necessarily hang my hat on, but still provide value for some who want more exotic plays outside of the aforementioned picks. Sometimes bonus plays are parlays, double chances, triple chances, and even some fun plays for that particular event.
With this being such a unique event, there are no bonus plays for this week. Those will be back next week for the next traditional event on the PGA Tour schedule.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffhartman/2026/04/22/previewing-and-betting-the-2026-zurich-classic/
