2024 PGA Picks: Zurich Classic of New Orleans Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
The past month and a half have been the Scottie Scheffler show as he took down the competition last week at the RBC Heritage for his fourth victory in his last five starts. This is perhaps the most dominant run on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods was at the peak of his powers. The good news for anyone teeing up at this week's Zurich Classic is that Scheffler is taking the week off. Players will head down to New Orleans for the lone team event on the PGA Tour. The field will consist of 80 two-man teams who will play best ball on Thursday and Saturday, and alternate shots on Friday and Sunday. There will be a cut with the top-33 teams advancing to the weekend. Doc’s Sports will break down some of the best bets from the bayou this upcoming weekend.
Get sports picks for every league and nearly every matchup on Doc’s free picks page.
A Look at the Field
Here is a look at the Top 10 and ties with the lowest golf odds to win it all at online sportsbooks
Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay +400 – Will Zalatoris/Sahith Theegala +700 – Shane Lowry/Rory Mcllroy +750 – Kurt Kitayama/Collin Morikawa +1100 – Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2200 – Nick Taylor/Adam Hadwin +2200 – Matt Fitzpatrick/Alex Fitzpatrick +2200 – Rasmus Hojgaard/Nicolai Hojgaard +2200 – Corey Conners/Taylor Pendrith +2500 – Joel Dahmen/Keith Mitchell +3000
Course Characteristics of Those Who Can Win or Secure Winning Golf Bets
The host venue for this weekend is TPC Louisiana that was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 2004. Dye relied on the natural wetlands and water to create hazards and difficulty on this track. Water is in play on eight holes, and the greens are well protected by bunkers. The sand traps are not the most difficult to get up and down on, but there are 106 of them total on the course. The course will play at 7,435 yards as a par 72. Given the team format, they will have to aim to shoot 25-under par to have a chance to win on Sunday. All four of the par-5s are reachable in two shots for every team, so scoring efficiently on the par-5s will make or break teams. The greens this week average just over 5,000 square feet in size and are Bermuda Grass with POA Trivialis overseed.
Will Zalatoris/Sahith Theegala +700
I like this team of Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris to prevail this week in Louisiana. Zalatoris has been a ball-striking machine in 2024 and has been in contention on Sunday a few times on the PGA schedule. Theegala is fresh off a solo second finish at the RBC Heritage last weekend and already has five top-10s this season. Sahith has shown flashes of his scrambling ability around the greens and ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting. Both players have won once on the PGA Tour and know what it takes to win on Sundays. Theegala won the Fortinet Championship in September and Zalatoris’ victory came at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022. They will rely on each other’s strengths to stand victorious on Sunday.
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2200
McNealy might be the perfect complement to Hoge’s elite ball-striking. Hoge has gained strokes on approach in 10 consecutive tournaments and made the cut in all 10 events. He has also tallied seven top-20 finishes over that stretch. Hoge ranks second on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach, only trailing Mr. Scheffler. McNealy should create a strong duo down at TPC Louisiana. He has made the weekend in eight straight tournaments, posting three top-15 finishes over that span. McNealy ranks 17th in Strokes Gained: Total this season and led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting last season. Hoge and McNealy should have a strong showing this week.
Tyson Alexander/Billy Horschel +3500
Horschel received a phone call from his normal partner, Sam Burns, that he would miss the Zurich Classic as his wife is pregnant. Enter Tyson Alexander, and this is my dark horse to win down in Louisiana this upcoming weekend, strictly on the tail coats of Horschel. Billy is in fine form, fresh off a victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship. Horschel’s course history is phenomenal with a 1st, T13, T4, 2nd, and T11 in his last five trips to TPC Louisiana. Alexander did not have his best stuff at Corales Puntacana, tying for 55th, but he did register T14 at the Valero Texas Open a few weeks ago. Lean on Horschel and Alexander to upset the top dogs this weekend.
Golf Picks: Who to Consider This Week:
To win: Zalatoris/Theegala, Hoge/McNealy, Alexander/Horschel
Get expert sports picks on every game, or if you want our very best bet premium picks by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.