The PGA Tour will take a break this week from their standard stroke play event as the tour heads to TPC Louisiana. That brings me to my 2023 PGA DFS: Zurich Classic DraftKings Preview.
The Zurich Classic is a two-man event where the players can pick their partners. This event has become a polarizing issue with golf fans either loving or hating the format of this event. In this article, I will attempt to navigate the difficult betting and DFS situation this format brings.
I personally love this format and event. The winning duo each receives 1.5 million, 400 Fed Ex Cup Points, and invitations to the PGA Championship, Tournament of Champions, and The Players Championship. Therefore, there are plenty of players in the field with much to gain from a win at this event.
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#ZurichClassic @ TPC Louisiana
-TEAM EVENT
-Par 72, 7425 yds
-Pete Dye, wetland environment, wide fairways, easy scoring, flattest course on Tour, 30% approaches from 200+ yds
-Demands precision on approach around bunkers, water hazards, and waste areas
-2015-2016: Avg Driving… pic.twitter.com/63I2uhst4x— Ron Klos (@PGASplits101) April 17, 2023
2023 PGA DFS: Zurich Classic DraftKings Preview
The format for this event will consist of 36 holes of best ball(Thursday and Saturday) and 36 holes of alternate shot(Friday and Sunday). The top 33 teams and ties will make the cut and advance to the weekend.
The Venue (TPC Louisiana)
TPC Louisiana is a 7,400-yard Par 72, Pete Dye-designed course. This course features your normal Pete Dye features including the importance of position off the tee and emphasis on being in the right spot around the greens. This course features many bunkers and random hazards including trees in the middle of the fairway.
This event was a standard stroke play event from 1938 to 2016. Since 2017, the Zurich Classic was changed to a team event. There are nine players who have multiple top-10 finishes over that span. They are Billy Horschel, Ryan Palmer, Charley Hoffman, Nick Watney, Jason Dufner, Patrick Cantlay, David Hearn, Sam Burns, and Scott Brown.
Past Winners/Odds #ZurichClassic pic.twitter.com/01TqAXk4MO
— Ron Klos (@PGASplits101) April 17, 2023
Course Comps
- TPC Sawgrass
- TPC Twin Cities
- TPC Craig Ranch
- TPC Scottsdale
- Austin Country Club
Key Stats
- Birdies or Better Gained
- Par 4 Scoring 450-500 Yards
- SG: Putting (Bermuda)
- SG: T2G (over 7400 Yard Courses)
- Course Comp History
My 2023 PGA DFS: Zurich Classic DraftKings Preview (Lineup)
Please note in team stroke play events on DraftKings that every player will be listed in the player pool, but you cannot draft both partners from the same team to the same lineup.
Golfers who are partners will receive the same statistics and fantasy points in each contest. This is true for all rounds of the event, including those that use alternate shot and better ball formats.
Billy Horschel and Sam Burns ($9,500)
My Preview and Picks for the #ZurichClassic https://t.co/iDySulXOef
Light week for me, no reason to force it coming off of back to back winners.
— Matt Vincenzi (@MattVincenziPGA) April 18, 2023
I like this duo slightly better than the teams of Xander/Cantlay and Homa/Morikawa. Mostly due to the fact that they are considerably cheaper than both. Both players can make plenty of birdies in the best ball format and I like the fact they've played in this event together before.
Another option in this price range: Max Homa and Collin Morikawa ($10,900)
Harris English and Tom Hoge ($8,800)
I think this team could be low-owned and for that reason, they are my second most expensive pair in my lineup. Hoge finished solo third at TPC (a comp course) and English had a top ten at this event before it became a two-man event.
Another option in this price range: Joel Dahmen and Denny McCarthy ($8,900)
Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor ($8,500)
Good luck to Abbotsford's Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor teeing off at #TheMasters this week! https://t.co/ixgvjovddQ
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) November 12, 2020
Team Canada has a good track record on Pete Dye Courses. Both have played in this event twice before it became a team event in 2017. This team missed the cut last year by one shot in their first appearance in this event together. I think their games are too well suited to this type of course for that to happen again.
Matthew Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick ($8,200)
Fitzy was absolutey DIALED inside 8 feet over the weekend 🫢
Did. Not. Miss. A. Putt.
📸: @GolfDigestMatt and his brother Alex Fitzpatrick are +3500 to win the Zurich classic this weekend. pic.twitter.com/cKwfyjmFuJ
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) April 18, 2023
This team is a simple add at this price to my lineup. Matt Fitzpatrick is playing incredible golf right now with his top ten at the Masters and win last week at Harbour Town. If the Fitzpatrick brothers would win the event this week, it would secure Alex Fitzpatrick a PGA Tour card for the next two years. I think there is a great chance of this happening and I love them at 35-1 to win the event.
Thorbjorn Olesen and Nicolai Hojgaard ($7,900)
This is a really strong team and their odds at 40-1 are enticing this week. The Danes are both in great form heading into this event. Hojgaard has finished no worse than 38th in his last eight events on the DP and PGA Tour. Including two top 10s on both tours in the last four months. Olesen is killing it on the DP tour with three straight top-six finishes and a win.
Another option in this price range: Thomas Detry and Victor Perez ($7,900)
Byeong Hun An and Seonghyeon Kim ($7,100)
This is a team based on their recent play and the fact they are friends. Kim and An both have three top-45 finishes in their last four events. This duo makes a lot of birdies, meaning they should thrive in the best ball format. My only concern is how they will fair in the alternate shot, but at this price, I think they have real potential/value.
Another option in this price range: Jason Dufner and Kevin Chappell ($6,900)
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Be sure to check out the rest of our golf content, including my show Two off the Tee on the Fantasy Six Pack YouTube Channel Tuesday night. Each week, my cohost Allen and I will break down the tournament for that week and give betting/DFS plays.
