This week’s PGA Tour event is probably the toughest to handicap when it comes to betting.
The reason is you’re not looking at just one golfer, you’re looking at two.
Welcome to the Zurich Classic, the Tour’s only two-player tournament.
The tournament is being held after two straight weeks of high-profile golf.
First there was the Masters, won by Scottie Scheffler, and then there was last week’s RBC Heritage Classic, a signature event with a $20-million payday, also won by Scheffler.
This week’s team event features a purse of $8.9 million with each winning team member pocketing $1.6 million to go along with 400 FedEx Cup points to each winner.
Last year’s winning team, Davis Riley and Nick Hardy, are back to defend their title but with an impressive array of talented teams, it should be a shootout.
The formats for the tournament will see teams tee it up in best-ball competition in two rounds as well as an alternate shot format in two rounds.
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Zurich Classic odds: Schauffele-Cantlay favored
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, the favorites this week at +500, have spent the last month lingering around the first page of the leaderboard in just about every tournament they have teed it up in.
Over the last four events, Schauffele has three top-10 finishes as he was T-2 at the Players Championship, T-5 at the Valspar and T-8 at the Masters. Last week he finished T-18 at the RBC Heritage Classic.
Cantlay has improved each event over his last three outings. He was T-68 at the Players Championship, T-22 at the Masters and T-3 last week at the RBC Heritage.
The one common theme between those two is they have already won this event once as a team, claiming the title in 2022.
And during that season, the Zurich title propelled them to multiple wins with Schauffele adding the Travelers Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open while Cantlay also won the BMW Championship in the playoffs.
Like we say about Scheffler, it’s tough to bet against these guys.
More: Best golf betting sites | Odds on Scottie Scheffler to win Grand Slam
Fitzpatrick brothers odds to win Zurich Classic
Let’s take a look at the Fitzpatrick brothers Matthew (a member of the PGA Tour) and Alex (in on a sponsor’s exemption again) at +2500 this week.
Matthew is having a so-so start to the 2024 season. He’s 12th in the world rankings with his best finish a solo fifth at the Players Championship.
He’s made seven of 10 cuts and is coming off a T-18 at last week’s RBC Heritage Classic.
It’s not the start he’s been looking for but maybe a week with his brother will relax him and get his game into a better spot.
The duo was T-19 last year in the debut for Alex.
2024 Zurich Classic odds: McIlroy-Lowry team could disappoint backers
The Rory McIlroy-Shane Lowry team has all the makings of a dynamic duo.
At least on paper.
At +800, they are the second choice and in name recognition, they are right up there with the best of them.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is this will be the fourth straight event for McIlroy and he has zero wins to show for his efforts.
In fact, his best finish is solo third at the Valero Texas Open. Add in a T-22 at the Masters and a T-33 at last week’s RBC Heritage Classic (with a final-round 74) and he’s not coming in playing his best.
Lowry has also been playing well, just not great.
He’s coming in after finishing T-64 last week at the RBC in a 70-player field and for the year has just two top-10s.
We like the star-power this duo brings but we don’t like the results they have shown.
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