April 23, 2025
Coming off a T48 at the RBC Heritage last week, Christiaan Bezuidenhout is in an interesting place. He's been so poor with his ball striking that the stellar work on and around the green has virtually gone unnoticed. Ranking sixth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting (+0.745) and 20th in strokes gained around the green (+0.335), the abysmal -0.546 strokes gained off the tee and -0.539 strokes gained on approach make it virtually impossible for the South African to compete. His pairing with EVR in Louisiana this week should allow him to let his shortcomings be less present. Watch for the South African team come Thursday's opening round.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
April 23, 2025
Akshay Bhatia has cooled down in his last few starts after a fantastic start to the 2025 season. Since THE PLAYERS, where he finished T-3, he hasn't finished better than T-42 and missed the cut at last week's RBC Heritage. His play around the green has been questionable, contributing to some of his poor finishes. He ranks 146th in strokes gained around the green (-0.249) and 136th in scrambling (57.97%). Bhatia's history, along with his partner Carson Young, at the Zurich Classic is not something they can hang their hats on, with two missed cuts in two starts for the pair. He and Young will try to flip the narrative at TPC Louisiana this week.
--Jake Walker - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
April 23, 2025
Carson Young has had a disappointing 2025 season thus far. In 10 starts, he has missed five cuts and, outside of a T-10 at the Puerto Rico Open, hasn't finished inside the top 25 in any other event. The only area he can hang his hat on in his game has been his driving, as all other areas of his game have been subpar. He ranks outside the top 100 in strokes gained, approach to green, putting, and around the green. On top of that, his course history and that of his teammate, Akshay Bhatia, are less than desirable. Both players have missed the cut in their two starts at this event. It's hard to trust either one of them right now in any format.
--Jake Walker - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
April 23, 2025
With only one top 25 finish so far in 2025, things haven't been great for Erik Van Rooyen. He's struggling to find anything good on and around the greens, ranking 113th in strokes gained around the green (-0.057) and 126th in strokes gained putting (-0.218). The South African ranks around the top 75 in both ball-striking metrics, making his pairing with fellow Countryman Christiaan Bezuidenhout at this week's Zurich Classic an exciting duo. This event can certainly help provide a spark to players who are not having as much success individually. If they can play smart and utilize one another's strengths, they could easily be a team to watch come Thursday.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
April 22, 2025
It was another close call for Andrew Novak, who lost in a playoff to Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage after nearly missing in his previous start in Texas. It was a great week in Hilton Head for the former Wofford Terrier, who led the field in strokes gained tee to green (+2.22). This was his third chance at capturing his first career PGA Tour victory this season. He'll tee it up at the Zurich Classic this week with Ben Griffin, a pairing that should be fairly competitive if Novak can continue gaining strokes on the greens like he has over his last two starts. It is a difficult mental hurdle to continue putting yourself in winning positions like he has without getting the job done, but a nice change-of-pace event could be good to reset the focus.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
April 22, 2025
It's been a slow spring for Ben Griffin, although he has managed to finish T18-T40 in his last two events. The 28-year-old has still been one of the better players this season statistically, ranking 42nd in strokes gained tee to green (+0.545) and top 60 in strokes gained on approach and around the green. He'll tee it up Thursday at TPC Louisiana alongside Andrew Novak, who nearly won last week in Hilton Head. Putting may be a concern for both players, but more so for Griffin, who ranks 102nd in strokes gained putting (-0.035). He's also looking to make the cut for the first time, having missed the cut the previous two years with other partners.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
April 22, 2025
Taylor Moore has been a steady presence on tour this season, posting six finishes of T42 or better and missing just two cuts in his first nine starts. He missed the cut at this event last year with three-time teammate Matt NeSmith, despite back-to-back fourth-place finishes in previous years, but this time he gets a boost by partnering with former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark. Moore has struggled on approach, ranking 123rd on tour, but he makes up for it off the tee, where he ranks 20th. He's also been sharp around the greens, ranking 12th in strokes gained per round at plus-0.373. Both players have had success at the Zurich Classic in the past, and while they may not be the most high-profile pairing in the field, their experience could very well have them in contention come the weekend.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
April 22, 2025
After opening with a 65 at the RBC Heritage, Wyndham Clark couldn't maintain that momentum and settled for a T27 finish. He now returns to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, an event he skipped last year, and will be teaming up with a new partner in Taylor Moore. Clark has a strong track record at TPC Louisiana, finishing third, 10th, and T17 in his last three appearances, each with a different teammate. While there aren't many standout statistical indicators for success at this event, Clark ranks 94th in approach and 92nd off the tee, but he brings value in the short game, sitting 47th in both strokes gained putting and around the green. This pairing may not be the flashiest on paper, but Clark's history at this venue speaks for itself.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
April 22, 2025
Kurt Kitayama has had a rocky stretch lately, missing the cut in five of his last eight starts, but he'll be hoping a return to team play at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans helps spark a turnaround. Teaming up once again with superstar Collin Morikawa after a solid T23 finish last year, Kitayama brings serious firepower to the pairing. He's one of the longest hitters on tour, averaging 315.8 yards off the tee (sixth-best), and ranks 13th in strokes gained off the tee per round at plus-0.508. That kind of distance will be a real weapon in the alternate-shot format, especially when paired with Morikawa's elite ball-striking. With Kitayama's power and Morikawa's precision, this team has the tools to do some real damage and is a pairing to watch throughout the week.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
April 22, 2025
Short-game woes continue to plague Collin Morikawa, as he lost 7.25 strokes around the green and putting at the RBC Heritage, ultimately finishing T54. It marks the fourth straight event in which he has lost strokes with his flat stick, but perhaps some pressure being taken off at this week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans is exactly what he needs to turn things around. Morikawa will once again team up with Kurt Kitayama, with the duo having finished T23 at this event in 2024. Despite his short-game struggles, Morikawa still ranks third in total strokes gained per round, second in approach, and fourth in driving accuracy. He may need to carry the bulk of the weight, but this pairing remains one of the more intriguing teams to watch.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
April 22, 2025
A winner in Phoenix earlier this year, Thomas Detry has not had much else going for him in 2025. He's only managed one top 25 finish since, and is struggling to stay consistent. In the seven events since his victory, Detry has finished four with negative strokes gained totals. And in the three events where he's managed to gain strokes hasn't necessarily been by a large margin. It's difficult to know exactly where his game currently stands, but pairing up with last year's teammate, Bobby Mac, at this week's Zurich Classic should benefit the German's shortcomings. If course history means anything in a team format setting, Detry makes a decent candidate, finishing T8 last season and T13 in 2023 (with Viktor Perez). This will be one of the more interesting pairings to watch come Thursday.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
April 22, 2025
After a good run in March, Robert MacIntyre has struggled to get things going in his last two starts, finishing T68 at The Masters and missing the cut last week in Hilton Head. Granted, both layouts are very methodical, approach-savvy venues that don't necessarily accentuate his skillset. However, that part of his game has been showing signs of improvement this season, as he was averaging +0.5 in strokes gained in eight events before the falloff in the last two weeks. He'll team up with Thomas Detry this week in New Orleans on a layout that gives way to his sporadic play style. The duo finished T8 at this event last season.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
April 22, 2025
After a disappointing Masters finish, Shane Lowry rebounded in expected fashion last week at Harbour Town. A T18 isn't a bad week after the emotions of playing for a green jacket, although losing strokes on approach (-0.16 average strokes gained on approach) at such a ball-striker-centric course was a bit surprising. He'll now turn his focus to TPC Louisiana, where he and partner Rory McIlroy will look to defend their unique victory last season. Given the incredible start to the season for his partner and Lowry's more frequent involvement in big tournaments, this pair is the headlining favorites in a lighter Zurich Classic field than we've had in years past.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
April 22, 2025
Coming off his historic win at The Masters, Rory McIlroy will tee it up again with good pal, Shane Lowry, this week at TPC Louisiana. Much like McIlroy's route to two victories this season, he and Lowry won this event last season in a playoff over Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer. There isn't much to know about the layout this week other than that it rewards the long ball off the tee, which the Northern Irishman is one of the best in the world at. Leading the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee to green (+1.725), this formidable team is the undoubted favorite ahead of Thursday's opening round.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
April 22, 2025
Nick Taylor and his golf game have evolved considerably. The Canadian golfer is not such a longer shot to win tournaments anymore. Taylor won the Sony Open this year where birdies are a prerequisite for victory. Also, he has two other Top 10 results. Now, the Spring part of the season has not gotten off to the best start with two missed cuts and two results in the 40's. However, New Orleans remains special to Taylor. After all, he and Adam Hadwin had that memorable run in 2023. Furthermore, even with a quality field led by Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, the Canadians will not be rattled. At +3500, Hadwin and Taylor have to be considered as Taylor's accuracy from approaches ranks 20th and his putter can get red hot on courses like New Orleans.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
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