Power Couples, Family Ties and Friends Add Intrigue to Zurich Classic
The Zurich Classic is back with its two-man team competition, a welcome respite in the sea of individual stroke-play events on the PGA Tour.
There is much to be said about the cuisine (arguably no better pro-am food on Tour), the bayou location (the gators watch golf, too) and the first tee walk-up music for players (fun awkwardness, since these are still golfers).
But how about the pairings? The field list is an interesting study, with natural matches and some that will send you down rabbit holes to see how they came together.
Here's eight pairs that got our attention:
Scottie Scheffler/Ryan Palmer: The Masters champion is back in action with a fellow Texan, who has a knack for picking partners. Palmer has played twice with Jordan Spieth and twice with Jon Rahm, winning with Rahm in 2019, and now he's got the hottest player in the sport. Does that mean more pressure or less?
Bill Haas/Jay Haas: Not many PGA Tour alumni use past-champion status to grab a start at age 68, but Jay Haas is this week in order to play with son Bill. It's PGA Tour start No. 799 for Jay, who doesn't quite have that record (Mark Brooks has 803 starts) but does have the record for most PGA Tour cuts made with 592.
Collin Morikawa/Viktor Hovland: The world No. 2 and No. 5 are together, the first time two top-5 players have teamed up at TPC Louisiana. Not surprisingly, they are the betting favorites.
Henrik Stenson/Justin Rose: When the Zurich moved to its current format in 2017, the two Europeans were the first to commit as a team and are playing together for the fourth time. The major champions' careers are also intertwined from Ryder Cup matches (they're 6-2 as a team) to the 2016 Olympics (Rose won gold, Stenson silver).
Brendon Todd/Chris Kirk: How close is this duo? The former University of Georgia teammates are both 36 years old, both turned pro in 2007, both have multiple tour wins and are making their fourth start as a team.
Nick Watney/Charley Hoffman: Only four duos have played in all five Zurich Classics in the team era, and these two Californians are one of them. They've also never missed the cut, having finished twice in the top 10 and no worse than 31st.
Cameron Smith/Marc Leishman: We've seen plenty of Smith (and that mullet) this spring, and he and Leishman are defending champs at the Zurich. If the Aussies can win again, it would be Smith's third win in the this format, having also won with Jonas Blixt in the first team game in 2017.
Tommy Gainey/Robert Garrigus: An interesting pairing of sponsor exemptions; Tommy "Two Gloves" has four missed cuts and a T3 at Puerto Rico in five starts this year, Garrigus also has just five starts and widespread speculation that he'll be appearing on the LIV Tour this summer.
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