The Zurich Classic is back. After a chaotic ending to the RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour field now pairs up for what promises to be an exciting and low-scoring weekend. With a unique format comes plenty of betting opportunities, and this could be the prime spot to back an underdog pairing.
Zurich Classic format
It’s worth noting that this is not your run-of-the-mill PGA Tour event. An 80-team field will take to TPC Louisiana. The four days are split in half when it comes to scoring. Rounds 1 & 3 will be ‘better ball’, while alternate shot will take place on round 2, and crucially, round 4. In terms of betting, it can be compared to the WGC Matchplay to some extent in the way that: literally anything can happen. Picking the winning team is anything but easy here, making throwing darts at a board even more fun.
Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (+3500)
Top 5: +650
Top 10: +280
The Duo was listed +4500 yesterday and the price has already dropped considerably. Both players have had spurts of showing real potential over the last couple of years and both are gaining around 0.4 shots on approach. Both also struggle around the greens, so having ‘two attempts’ at each shot in rounds 1 & 3 could be pivotal here at The Zurich Classic.
Riley has two top-10s at the Zurich Classic and Nick Hardy has two top-30s in his last 5 tournaments. I like this team going into what could be an action-packed weekend that sees plenty of surprises.
Thorbjorn Olsen & Nicolai Hojgaard (+3500)
Top 5: +700
Top 10: +280
The combination of Thorbjorn Olsen and Nicolai Hojgaard looks like a statistical anomaly in this field, dominating nearly every metric in the two events they’ve played together. They’re gaining 1.4 strokes T2G on the field and +3500 feels like a steal for what could be an explosive Zurich Classic for this pair in a field that is bottom-heavy.
Nick Taylor & Adam Hadwin (+3500)
Top 5: +650
Top 10: +280
Hadwin and Taylor feel like one of the more well-rounded pairs in this field. Taylor is a great player around the greens and putting on them, gaining 0.47 strokes on the field ATG and 0.3 with the putter, while Hadwin gains a little more off the tee. It’s a nice balance and the two should complement each other well.
You can back any of the names here with a free $200 bet on the Zurich Classic by clicking the link below
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire
