Zurich Classic of New Orleans 2026 Odds, Preview and Picks
Written by: Danny Burke
Last Update: Wed Apr 22, 2026, 1:05 pm ET
Read Time: 8 minutes
golf
The lone team event on the PGA Tour schedule is back, as the Zurich Classic of New Orleans brings a different kind of challenge to the board this week.
Instead of the traditional 72-hole stroke play format, players will pair up and alternate between best ball and alternate shot, which puts a premium on chemistry just as much as individual form. It's not just about finding the best golfer, it's about finding the best duo.
Matt Fitzpatrick/Alex Fitzpatrick (+1100)
Brooks Koepka/Shane Lowry (+1200)
Karl Vilips/Michael Thorbjornsen (+1400)
Ryan Gerard/Sudarshan Yellamaraju (+1600)
Ben Griffin/Andrew Novak (+1800)
Aaron Rai/Sahith Theegala (+2000)
Marco Penge/Matt Wallace (+2200)
Matt McCarty/Mac Meissner (+2200)
Michael Brennan/Johnny Keefer (+2200)
Haotong Li/Jordan Smith (+2500)
Wyndham Clark/Taylor Moore (+2800)
Austin Eckroat/Davis Thompson (+3000)
Kristoffer Reitan/Kris Ventura (+3500)
Sam Stevens/Zach Bauchou (+3500)
Austin Smotherman/Andrew Putnam (+4000)
TPC Louisiana Course Preview
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,425
Greens: Poa Trivialis (12th smallest, average speed)
Fairways: Bermuda (15th widest)
Rough: Bermuda (2 inches, short)
Bunkers: 106 (4th most)
Water in Play: 7 holes (13th most)
Before diving into the course itself, it's important to understand how this event plays out over the four days.
Teams will alternate between best ball (four-ball) and alternate shot (foursomes). Thursday and Saturday feature best ball, where both players play their own ball and the lowest score counts. Friday and Sunday shift to alternate shot, where teammates rotate hitting the same ball, placing a stronger emphasis on strategy.
TPC Louisiana offers some room off the tee, but it's far from a course where you can just swing freely without consequence. With fairways sitting around the middle of the pack in width and water in play on several holes, positioning still carries weight, especially once alternate shot comes into play.
Approach play is the clear separator at TPC Louisiana, and it has been for years. Even before factoring in the team format, both SG: APP and Greens in Regulation have proven critical.
That importance is amplified by the layout itself. All four Par 3s sit in the 200–225 yard range, and more than 30% of approach shots come from 200+ yards. That puts a premium on long-iron play, and teams that are sharp from those distances will create far more realistic birdie opportunities.
Around the greens, this isn't a course that demands elite scrambling. TPC Louisiana has routinely played as one of the easier short-game tests on Tour, allowing players to get by without having to rely heavily on their touch from off the green.
On the flip side, putting plays a massive role in determining who wins. Six of the seven winners prior to 2017 ranked inside the top 10 in putting average, and each of the last four champions gained at least 4.2 strokes on the greens. With subtle tiers and slopes on these Poa Trivialis surfaces, it's not just about hitting greens, it's about hitting the right sections to set up clean looks.
When you piece it all together, the key metrics fall in line. SG: APP and SG: Putting are at the top, followed by Par 5 scoring, proximity from 200+ yards and Birdie or Better Percentage, which carries even more weight in this format. From there, Par 4 scoring in the 450–500 yard range and SG: T2G help round out the profile for teams that should contend.
Zurich Classic 2026 Picks
NOTE: A quarter unit is allocated to outright plays and a full unit on the top finishing positions, which are including ties unless stated otherwise, and head-to-head wagers.
As always, be sure to shop around for the best numbers, as PGA odds can vary significantly from book to book.
Brooks Koepka/Shane Lowry: To Win (+1450) | Top 10 (+125)
Yes, I'm a sucker and will take the chalk in this tournament. Most of the market has this duo priced around 12/1, but at 14/1 or better, I think it's a great look.
I mean, let's be honest – it's a great look in general based on the skill between these two golfers alone.
Not only is Shane Lowry playing solid golf this season, but he also won this event alongside Rory McIlroy back in 2024. Now, he's teaming up with a powerhouse partner in Brooks Koepka, who has continued to round into form since returning to the PGA Tour.
Lowry sits seventh in my model with the stats I filtered out, while Koepka is 11th. They'll need to dial in the putter, but if they can, there's no reason they shouldn't at least be in the mix for a top-10 finish.
Aaron Rai/Sahith Theegala: To Win (+2150) | Top 10 (+190)
This will be another popular pick at the Zurich Classic, but for good reason. This duo finished T-18 at TPC Louisiana last year at 21-under, but should carry much higher expectations this time around.
Aaron Rai brings reliability off the tee, while Sahith Theegala can create magic around the greens.
Rai will need to improve with the putter and on Par 5s, both areas that have given him trouble this season, but if he does, don't be surprised to see this duo in the top 10, if not contending for the win come Sunday.
Matt McCarty/Mac Meissner: To Win (29/1) | Top 20 (+110)
The 28-year-old lefty, Matt McCarty, has put together a solid run in 2026 so far. He's missed the cut just three times, but has also logged five finishes of T-24 or better, including a runner-up finish at The American Express.
His partner, Mac Meissner, has also missed three cuts this season, with a T-18 at the Phoenix Open standing as his best result.
There is optimism to be had with Meissner at TPC Louisiana, though, as he sits sixth in my model this week, while McCarty comes in at 28th. These two complement each other's strengths and weaknesses well, and I think they'll be a very competitive team this week.
Zach Bauchou/Sam Stevens: To Win (39/1) | Top 20 (+125)
Sam Stevens has shown some solid form at TPC Louisiana, finishing T-24 last year alongside Max McGreevy and T-4 the year prior with Paul Barjon.
Stevens and Zach Bauchou were teammates at Oklahoma State, which should only help from a chemistry standpoint.
In his rookie season on Tour, Bauchou has held his own, posting four finishes of T-28 or better while missing just two cuts.
Meanwhile, Stevens has just one missed cut this season, which came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, along with a pair of top-10 finishes at The American Express and the Houston Open. He also logged a T-24 finish at The Masters.
This is a sneaky strong duo that I'm willing to invest in this week.
Hayden Springer/Alex Smalley: To Win (60/1) | Top 20 (+100)
How about Alex Smalley checking in fourth in my model this week? He's second in SG: Par 4s from 450–500 yards, seventh in SG: TOT and 13th putting on Poa Trivialis this season.
The 29-year-old has missed just one cut this year, back at the end of January at the Farmers Insurance Open, and has otherwise been steady. His most recent start resulted in a T-14 at the Valero Texas Open, and prior to that he finished T-21 at the Houston Open.
We've only seen one PGA Tour event from Hayden Springer this season, a T-26 finish at the Puerto Rico Open, but the upside is there, especially in a team format.
He's spent most of the year on the Korn Ferry Tour, so this is a massive tournament for a player like Springer, as he looks to win his way into a more consistent stay on the PGA Tour.
Look for Springer and Smalley to battle this week and offer some solid value at 60/1.
Zurich Classic Picks:
- Brooks Koepka & Shane Lowry (+1450) | Top 10 (+125)
- Aaron Rai and Sahith Theegala (+2150) | Top 10 (+190)
- Matt McCarty & Mac Meissner (29/1) | Top 20 (+110)
- Zach Bauchou & Samuel Stevens (39/1) | Top 20 (+125)
- Hayden Springer & Alex Smalley (60/1) | Top 20 (+100)
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Danny Burke is a betting analyst with a decade of sports media experience. He got his start at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sharing picks on the local ESPN affiliate. After college, he hosted shows for VSiN in Las Vegas before returning to Chicago to launch 'Rush Hour', the first daily sports betting show from an Illinois casino. He also co-hosted 'Props and Locks' on Fox32’s Bears pregame show and ran 'Bet On, Chicago' on WLS-AM 890.
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