Zurich Classic of New Orleans Preview: Teams, Course, Format, Tee Times, How to Watch

There’s no tournament on the PGA Tour like the Zurich Classic—literally. Here's what you need to know for the lone team event of 2026.

Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak are the defending champions of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

There’s no tournament on the PGA Tour like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. 

Literally. 

It’s the season’s lone team event, played in that format since 2017. Teams of two will play four-ball in the first and third rounds, and foursomes (alternate shot) in the second and final rounds at TPC Louisiana. 

A purse of $9.5 million is at stake, with the winning pair collecting $1,372,750 each (splitting the first- and second-place money from a typical Tour payout). No world rankings points are up for grabs, but the winning players will each receive a two-year Tour exemption and 400 FedExCup points. 

From its 74 teams, course, tee times and how to watch, here’s what you need to know for the 2026 Zurich Classic. 

Field: Teaming up

Sandwiched between two majors and three signature events, many of the top players are taking this week off, making for some interesting and shocking teams to round out the field, with players who have seldom played this year. 

The field is highlighted by Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry, after Lowry’s usual partner, Rory McIlroy, opted not to play the Zurich. 

There’s also defending champions Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, who earned their maiden Tour wins last year by a stroke over Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard. 

Last week’s RBC Heritage winner, Matt Fitzpatrick, the highest-ranked player in the field (No. 3), is teaming up with his brother, Alex, who recently won the DP World Tour. Should they win, Alex would earn PGA Tour status. 

In all, there are 10 of the 50 players in the world playing this week. 

And besides Griffin and Novak, the only past-winner tandem in the field is Davis Riley and Nick Hardy, who claimed the title in 2023. However, two players competing this week, Jason Dufner and Nick Watney, won this tournament in 2012 and 2007 when it was an individual event. 

View the full field here. 

The winning moment! @zurich_classic 🏆

Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin become winners on the PGA TOUR for the FIRST time! 👏 pic.twitter.com/ogIVi9Nd4d

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 27, 2025

The course: TPC Louisiana 

The Pete Dye-designed TPC Louisiana course is a 7,425-yard, par-72. Its overseeded Bermudagrass greens average 5,225 square feet, with 106 bunkers and water in play on eight holes. There are five par-5s, including the 18th hole, four par-3s and nine par-4s. 

This is the eighth-longest course the PGA Tour has played this season and has the second-most bunkers. 

What’s the winning formula at TPC Louisiana? 

“I think the golf course really rewards I think good iron play and good ball-striking,” said 2023 champion Hardy, “because a lot of times when you miss around a green here, you can have some tougher up-and-downs to elevated greens and chipping downhill and on slopes, and the greens can get a little tricky if you miss on the edges. I think keeping alternate shot pretty stress-free is a plus, and then just kind of having fun in best ball and making as many birdies as you can.”

How to Watch

• Thursday: 3–6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Friday: 3–6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday: 1–3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3–6 p.m. (CBS)
• Sunday: 1–3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3–6 p.m. (CBS)

ESPN+ will also have featured coverage during each round.

Teams/First- and second-round tee times 

Tee times for the first and second round at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans pic.twitter.com/YIr2hUxZOI

— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) April 21, 2026