There’s a welcome change of pace this week with the Zurich Classic of New Orleans becoming the first official team event on the PGA Tour since the 1981 Disney Classic.
Eighty two-man teams will compete for a first prize of just over $1million each, with foursomes played in the first and third round and fourballs in the other two rounds.
Tournament organisers have been rewarded with some high-quality pairs, including Jason Day and Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose, who have been installed as 6/1 joint favourites.
Stenson and Rose, who won silver and gold respectively in the Rio Olympics last year, won all three of their matches together in the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, but were unable to repeat such success at Hazeltine and suffered two defeats in three contests.
Rose is making his first appearance since narrowly missing out on a second major title in the Masters, where Stenson missed his third successive cut, meaning we’re better off looking for value elsewhere in the Zurich Classic betting.
Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen make an obvious first selection after combining to win all four of their matches together in the Presidents Cup in 2015.
The South African pair saw off Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, Reed and Fowler and JB Holmes and Bubba Watson in Korea, while Grace has finished 11th and 10th in his last two starts this season.
Oosthuizen has gone off the boil somewhat since finishing third in Phoenix and fifth in the World Super 6 in Perth, but the classy duo can be backed with some confidence at 14/1.
Luke Donald and Jamie Lovemark initially appear a more random duo, but a closer look at their individual form means the Anglo-American pair offer an interesting second selection at 40/1.
Donald was third at TPC Louisiana in his last appearance in the event in 2012, while Lovemark lost out in a play-off for the title 12 months ago. Lovemark has been solid if unspectacular recently after starting the year by finishing fourth in Hawaii, with Donald following yet another runners-up finish in the RBC Heritage by missing the cut in Texas.
Former world number one Donald enjoyed a brilliant foursomes record in the Ryder Cup and Lovemark brings length off the tee into an intriguing equation.
Our third Zurich Classic tip also have good course form on their side, with Jason Dufner winning his first PGA Tour title at the venue back in 2012 and his partner Patton Kizzire finishing in a tie for eighth 12 months ago. The American duo are available at 66/1.
And finally, good friends Harris English and Hudson Swafford warrant a small interest at 50/1 given that English has won the Franklin Templeton Shootout – another two-man event – twice in the last four years with Matt Kuchar, while Swafford claimed his first PGA Tour title earlier this season and has recorded two other top-10s.
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