Zurich Championship: Best Bets by Brian Kirschner

In one of the more underwhelming weeks on the PGA Tour, we are headed to Louisiana for the Zurich Classic. Almost every week on the Tour 150 golfers tee it up and play stroke play over four rounds, to crown a champion. That is not the case this week. 

For the Zurich Classic, we have a team event where PGA Tour pros will team up in twosomes to try and win the coveted trophy. On days one and three, golfers will be playing a best-ball format. This means both golfers in the team will be playing their ball like they normally would. However, only the lowest score of the two guys counts for their overall score. This means in player A makes a bogey and play B makes a birdie, and their score for the hole will be the birdie. Groups will need to go low on this day to capitalize. 

On days two and four, golfers will alternate tee shots and they will play an alternate shot until the ball is holed. Golfer A hits the drive, golfer B hits the approach shot, golfer A will hit the putt, and so on. They can strategize in that one golfer will tee off on all the odd holes and one will tee off on all the even holes. This is a lot higher scoring. Anything from par to -2 is a great score. 

In terms of betting and strategy, it is a normal week. You can bet everything from outrights, to top 20s, first-round leaders, and matchups. I will say that I am lowering my exposure for this event. Normally I would bet to win $1,000 an outright. This week it will only be to win $750. In a week with so much volatility, it is important to lower your exposure. 

Outright Billy Horschel / Sam Burns +1300 (FanDuel)

The southern boys are back and they are looking to capture the Belt this week at TPC Louisiana. Sometimes the handicapping process gets complicated, sometimes we overanalyze our way out of a good pick. I am not going to do that this week.

Last year the rationale for picking Cam Smith and Marc Leishman could have been “Cam has won this event before and Marc is playing great golf”. I am going to use this exact logic on this team this week. Billy Horschel arguably has the best course history of anyone in the field. He won this event at this course in 2013 before it was a team event. He then went on to win the team event with Scott Piercy in 2018. 

His Partner, the 11th ranked golfer in the world, is one start removed from his third career victory. Sam Burns is going to be the key factor this week. I am always looking for elite putters at this event and this duo ranks 7th and 8th respectively in SG: P on Bermuda over the past 50 rounds. This duo played together last year en route to a 4th place finish. In a wonky week, I have my utmost confidence that these two will win the 2022 Zurich Classic. 

Top 10: Shane Lowry/ Ian Poulter +180 (DraftKings)

Let’s be frank here, Shane Lowry broke our hearts last week. I wrote him up as my favorite outright, had a lot of money on it, and he chipped it into the water with a two-shot lead. With all that being said I think that he and Poulter can notch a top-10 finish this week.

Lowry is undeniably playing the best golf of his career at the moment. He has three top-three finishes over his past five starts, with his other starts being 12th and 13th, and Lowry ranks second in ball striking over the past 24 rounds. Now for his partner, Ian Poulter, he is not playing terribly. Poulter only one missed cut in his past five starts, where he is consistently gaining on and around the greens. 

Poulter took Sam Horsfield to a top-10 finish back in 2019 when Sam had no form to speak of. I believe that Shane’s ball striking and Ian’s putting can vault them into a top-10 finish. 

Top 20 Davis Riley/ Will Zalatoris +120 

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Will Zalatoris, the most talented player on the PGA Tour without a victory. However, I do believe that he and his college roommate are talented enough to top 20 this week. 

On a course that demands a strong long-iron game, I am going to play Willy Z. Over the past 24 rounds, he ranks 1st in proximity from 200+. He also ranks 1st in ball striking, beating out the likes of Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa. As always, this is going to come down to his partner. Davis Riley was actually in a position to win a golf tournament just a few weeks ago. He fell to a very talented Sam Burns in a playoff. His losing in a playoff is a lot closer than most PGA Tour players can say. He also gained 7.1 strokes putting on these same exact greens. If he shows any semblance of that, they will be a hard team to beat.

Matchup: Hovland/Morikawa over Cantlay/ Schauffele -120 (DraftKings)

This is a pure fade of Xander Schauffele whose game is not in the best place right now. Xander couldn’t make it out of the easiest group at the match play and then proceeded to miss the cut at one of his best events, The Masters. This is also a way to get exposure to the most talented team on the board. What more is there to say about Morikawa/Hovland? These two shot a 59 in best ball at the Ryder Cup. They are both top 5 in the world rankings, and two of the most talented ball strikers on tour. 

A price of -120 on the best two players in the field over an out-of-form Xander Schuffale is a value to me and I will be betting it. 

This article is intended for entertainment purposes and adult users only. Call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a gambling problem.

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