The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will bring 74 teams of two to TPC Louisiana this week, giving the PGA TOUR its only team competition and setting up the ninth edition of the event in its current format. The tournament was originally scheduled to be trimmed to 72 teams, but Brooks Koepka’s commitment led officials to add two more teams so the first two rounds could be grouped evenly.
That matters because the field is built around a format few players ever see on tour. The first and third rounds will be Four-ball, while the second and fourth rounds will be Foursomes, and the usual cut of low 33 and ties will send the survivors into the final two rounds. The champions will also earn exemptions into the PGA Championship, giving the week more than just a trophy to play for.
TPC Louisiana remains a par 72 at 7,425 yards, with three of its four par 3s on odd-numbered holes — No. 3, No. 9 and No. 17 — and the par 5s split evenly across the layout. The finishing hole measures 585 yards. The course has been sharpened for the week, with Bermudagrass rough up a quarter of an inch to 2 1/4 inches and overseeded Bermudagrass greens set to 12 1/2 feet on the Stimpmeter.
The weather may matter as much as the setup. Rain and storms are expected to play a role during the four-day tournament, even as temperatures rise to at least 80 degrees each day. The strongest wind should come before the rain, blowing from the southeast before shifting to the south. That leaves the field facing a test that is as much about adapting to the conditions as it is about scoring.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won the team event in 2024, one example of how this format can reward even players better known for individual golf. Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo also made a mark in 2024 with a tournament-record 14-under 58 in the opening round. However the week unfolds, the Zurich Classic remains the oddity on the schedule: a team event in a sport built almost entirely around solitary play.