This year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans will take place Thursday, April 20 through Sunday, April 23 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay leaned on their Ryder Cup pairing experience to cruise to victory as the 2022 favorites, and are expected to return in 2023 to defend their team title. Below we will provide a betting guide for the 2023 contest, which will include Zurich Classic odds as soon as they are posted by top sportsbooks. Also be sure to check out PGA Championship odds as that major is right around the corner.
ZURICH CLASSIC ODDS AT BETMGM
The field and team pairings for the 2023 Zurich Classic was officially announced on Friday, April 14.
TPC LOUISIANA
The Zurich Classic is a unique team format for the PGA TOUR, which rotates between Best Ball and Alternate Shot over four days of competition. The team component creates a bit of a lighter atmosphere compared to a standard stroke play event, but still makes for compelling drama come Sunday.
TPC Louisiana has hosted this event each year since 2007. The Zurich Classic was a standard individual stoke play event on the PGA TOUR schedule from 1938 to 2016. In 2017, the format was adjusted, becoming the only team stroke play event with FedEx Cup Points at stake ever since.
The Pete Dye design features many water hazards throughout which encourages a more aggressive style of play in Best Ball and more conservative approaches in Alternate Shot. Players with very contrasting styles of play have found success in this format, so it’s best to look for teams who are comfortable playing together with complementary skillsets when betting the Zurich Classic.
Traits And Recent Notable Facts
At 7,400 yards, TPC Louisiana is top-10 in terms of total yardage for a PGA TOUR course, and features four Par-4s over 470 yards. The Par-3s are also amongst the most difficult we see on TOUR, each sitting over 200 yards with water hazards threatening. In the alternate shot format, we’ve seen teams strategically structure their order to give stronger long-iron players the par-3s, as three out of four par-3s fall on odd-numbered holes.
The rough at TPC Louisiana is not very penal, so players can get away with slight misses off the tee. The course plays below sea level in one of the wetter climates of the country, which should naturally set up softer conditions, favoring players who are longer off-the-tee and precise with their irons. The greens at TPC Louisiana are Bermuda with Poa overseed, similar to what we’ve seen most recently at the Valspar and WGC Dell Match Play.
TPC LOUISIANA COURSE SPECS
- Yards: 7,400
- Par: 72 (4x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 4x 5’s)
- Greens: Bermuda (overseeded with Poa)
- Average Green Size: 5,225 sq. ft. (Average)
- Rough: 2″ Bermuda (Average)
- Course Architect: Pete Dye
- Comp Courses: TPC Twin Cities, Detroit Golf Club, TPC Sawgrass, Austin CC, TPC Scottsdale, TPC Craig Ranch
- Hole-by-hole Breakdown:
ZURICH CLASSIC ODDS: BETTING TRENDS
Odds for the winning team at this event have gotten progressively shorter since its debut on TOUR in 2017. That may be a factor of sportsbooks becoming more sharp to the competition over time, or the event attracting more dominant duos over the years. In any case, the winning team has opened at 16-1 odds or shorter in each of the last three years, so bettors will want to find exposure to one of the favorites when betting the Zurich Classic.
The below table tracks consensus pre-tournament outright golf odds for all previous winners of the Zurich Classic.
| Year | Winner | Pre-Tournament Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Schauffele & Cantlay | +800 |
| 2021 | Smith & Leishman | +1200 |
| 2020 | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | Palmer & Rahm | +1600 |
| 2018 | Horschel & Piercy | +3300 |
| 2017 | Blixt & Smith | +10000 |
HOW TO BET THE ZURICH CLASSIC
When online sportsbooks set the Zurich Classic odds, bettors are going to notice several of the PGA Tour’s big names and several former major winners. If you’re looking to make an outright winner bet, consider how the player is performing this season and previous performances on TPC Louisiana. Are you going with the hot golfer with several top-10 finishes or the one who is overdue for a win? The latter scenario could mean longer odds and a bigger potential payout.
However, like the majority of PGA Tour events, spending hours analyzing which golfers have the best shot of winning the Zurich Classic, is optional. Expect to see odds for top-five finishes along with individual hole props and round finishing position. Sportsbooks will finalize the event betting menu as the event draws closer. Even though it will not be as detailed as what is offered for Masters betting, golf bettors will have no shortage of options.