We were so close to picking back-to-back winners on the PGA Tour, but Patrick Cantlay fell just a little short. Now we turn our attention to TPC Louisiana for the Zurich Classic. The sixth playing of the Zurich Classic will remain unique in its format. 80 teams of two will play together in four rounds of mixed format play to determine the winner. In rounds 1 and 3, the golfers will play four-ball. Four-ball is also known as best ball. Each player on the team will play their own golf ball throughout the round and tally their scores. The team score will be the lowest score on each hole between the two players. In rounds 2 and 4, the golfers will play foursomes. Foursomes is also known as alternate shot. In foursomes, the team will play one ball, alternating who hits the shot on each shot. Once the ball is in the hole, that score will be added to the team score.
To be as transparent as possible, I hate handicapping tournaments like this. Especially Zurich. The tournament itself is excellent to watch, but tracking motivation in an event like this is hard. These golfers just finished a few weeks of grueling golf, and now they play in a team event in one of the biggest party cities in the world. Some let their hair down and party a little. I’m not one for laying a ton of money down on the potential that the golfers, I bet on, spent all night shutting the bars down on Bourbon Street. I will have two bets, and each will be 0.5 units.
2023 Zurich Classic Outright Bets:
Sungjae Im & Keith Mitchell (+1300)
I probably could’ve single-bulleted this event and bet on this group by themselves. Of all the groups, outside of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, they are playing the best. I can’t bet +300 on the Cantlay/Schauffele group. That leaves me trying to find value elsewhere. If we look at how well Sungjae Im played at the RBC Heritage, it’s hard to pass him up here. When talking on Bet the Edge, I asked what it will take for Im to win on the PGA Tour consistently. Steve Burkowski mentioned that it’s just a matter of if the putter can get hot.
In this format, I like him playing with Keith Mitchell. Mitchell is a golfer who is on the verge of being a consistent winner on the PGA Tour. He’s a beast off the tee which will give them an added boost in the alternate shot. In this format, you want golfers who can score in bunches. Im is second in the field in Birdies or Better Gained, and Mitchell is 11th.
Two good ball strikers at a ball strikers’ course could set up to be a match made in heaven.
Sam Burns & Billy Horschel (+1700)
I may be the only person on the internet who is ready to defend and bet on Billy Horschel this week. He’s been pretty terrible in 2023, but he does have a few good results on the season. Even with his struggles, and man, there have been a ton of struggles; he always finds a way to ball in team events. He’s won this event as a team and won this when it was an individual stroke play event. Plus, he gets such a great player on his side. Sam Burns is another great ball striker who is in great form. Him knocking off Scottie Scheffler in the semi-finals of the Dell Matchplay was super impressive. He was dialed in and should be dialed in this week.
The LSU product will have the home crowd behind him, and he has a teammate who is used to gaming and playing up for his teammates. The price is right for the two, and we should have a little fun rooting for both of them.
