Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC Louisiana – Avondale, LA
Purse: $6,600,000

After opening the 2013 PGA Tour season with 14 straight American winners, we’ve now seen back-to-back-to-back international winners:  Scot Martin Laird three weeks ago at the Valero Texas Open, Aussie Adam Scott taking home the Green Jacket two weeks ago at The Masters and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell last week at the RBC Heritage.  The TPC Louisiana first hosted this event in 2005, skipped a year in 2006 and has been its permanent home now since 2007.  In the seven previous events held at this venue, there have been four first-time winners on Tour including one international victor, Argentine Andres Romero in 2008.  All told, this is the 54th visit the PGA Tour has made to New Orleans.  Look for scoring to be low as the TPC Louisiana ranked 39th easiest of 49 courses played on Tour in 2012.  This is Week 17 of the Fantasy Challenge-Golf Channel with $1,152,000 going to the winner.  


Tournament Notes

• Field Watch:  Defending Champion:  Jason Dufner; Runner-up:  Ernie Els.  Also in the field on a sponsor’s exemption is 14-year-old Tianlang Guan; who of course made worldwide headlines two weeks ago by making the cut and taking home low amateur honors at The Masters.
• Past champions joining Romero in the field:  Nick Watney (2007); Jerry Kelly (2009); Bubba Watson (2011) and Dufner last year.
• Course measures 7,425 yards on the card.  Par 72 (36-36).  Winning score in 2012 was -19; -15 in 2011 and -18 in 2010.  

Weather starting on Thursday should not be a factor but they are calling for strong storms on Wednesday.  TPC Louisiana [Forecast]:  Temperature range 75-81; winds variable 6-13 mph.  Sunday is showing the greatest chance of rain, but only at 30%.


Names to Watch (Odds):

• Justin Rose (12/1) – Rose is the odds favorite this week and comes in as the #4-ranked player in the World Rankings.  Four-for-four in stroke play cuts-made so far in 2013 with four Top-25 finishes; including three Top-10s.  Coming off his worst finish of the year at The Masters, which was still a respectable T25, Rose no doubt looks to improve on his T10 here last year.  Granted, Rose has made only two cuts in four tries here at the Zurich but any doubt should be quickly erased with his Consecutive Cuts Made streak on the PGA Tour now at seven.        

• Jason Dufner (16/1) – Defending champion does not come into New Orleans with much to talk about as he has yet to log a Top-10 finish in eight stroke play events played in 2013.  However, his playoff win here a year ago over Ernie Els catapulted Dufner onto a career year including another win at the 2012 HP Byron Nelson.  If Dufner can’t get his 2013 kick-started at the Zurich then he may be in for a long season.  In his last four starts here he’s had four Top-10s finishing no worse than T9 in 2009.  

• Keegan Bradley (16/1) – Bradley is another player looking to rebound from a poor showing at The Masters.  He had come into Augusta on a string of four straight Top-10s so perhaps it was a case of Bradley peaking too soon.  Whatever the case, Bradley has seven Top-25s in eleven starts so far in 2013 including five Top-10s.  Those five Top-10s are tied for first on Tour in 2013, so look for Bradley to return to form quickly. 

• Rickie Fowler (20/1) – Fowler rode a T10 here last year on his way to his maiden PGA Tour victory the following week at the Wells Fargo Championship.  Opened the Masters with a four-under 68 and coming off his T3 at the Arnold Palmer, expectations that Fowler might contend went sky-high.  Those expectations however cooled quickly with his 2nd-round 76 and he eventually limped home in 78 for a T38.  Fowler is ninth on Tour in Birdie or Better Conversion despite being only 152nd in GIR so he’s making the most of his chances with his putter. 

• Billy Horschel (28/1) – Not many hotter than Horschel right now.  T2 at Shell, T3 at Valero and T9 last week at the RBC Heritage.  Horschel is leading the PGA Tour in Consecutive Cuts Made with his streak now at 22 straight including three straight Top-10 finishes.  Two previous starts at the Zurich Classic resulted in a T26 in 2011 and a missed cut last year but Horschel has pretty much been getting it done wherever he plays this year.  Fourth on Tour in Birdie Average at 4.41 and fifth in Birdie or better conversion.

• Ernie Els (40/1) – Lost in a playoff here last year to Dufner which is not too shabby considering it was his first and only appearance at the Zurich Classic.  Followed a T13 at the Masters with a missed-cut last week at the Heritage which is not atypical of a post-Masters letdown.  Still how can you not put the Big Easy on the list in the Big Easy? 

• Charley Hoffman (45/1) – 54-hole leader at the RBC Heritage last week but struggled to a final round 77.  Still managed a T6 though which is his second consecutive Top-10 and has played 10 of his last 11 rounds on Tour under par.  Has survived five of his last six cuts at the Zurich.  Hoffman will definitely be looking to make amends for his disappointing finish last week.   

• Boo Weekley (66/1) – What a resurgence 2013 has been for Weekley.  In just ten 2013 starts he’s made more money than he did in all of 2012 in 25 starts.  Followed a T8 at Puerto Rico with a solo second at Tampa Bay.  Has cooled a bit in his last three starts but has still has managed to run his Consecutive Cuts Streak to nine.  166th in Strokes Gained Putting and 114th in Scrambling in 2013 but fifth in Total Driving and sixth in GIR.

• Camilo Villegas (66/1) – Followed a T16 at the Arnold Palmer with a T9 at the RBC Heritage, his first Top-10 of 2013.  Two-for-two at the Zurich classic with a T46 in 2011 and T18 last year.  Villegas’ putting stats have improved greatly this season.  He currently is 63rd on Tour in Strokes Gained Putting which doesn’t sound particularly amazing but it is a stark improvement from 156th last year and 141st in 2011.     

My Zurich Classic of New Orleans picks:  Group 1:  Rickie Fowler; Group 2:  Jeff Overton; Group 3:  Chris Stroud; Group 4:  Martin Flores.