Some folks might have found the playing of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans to be something of a letdown after the tour events of the previous two weeks. After all, the Rory Masters was as compelling a competition as has ever been played on the grounds of the old tree nursery in Augusta. And Justin Thomas certainly roused the golfing public at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town when he ended a nearly three-year winless drought by draining a 21-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole.
But at this part of the PGA Tour season, I was happy for the intermezzo that the Zurich just provided.
A large part of that has to do with its format, for it is the only annual competition on the PGA Tour that features team play.
To be clear, I much prefer the individual nature of professional golf. And I believe that the main reason that LIV Golf will never prosper as a stand-alone entity is that most people feel much the same way and have no interest in a tour that emphasizes team play.
But I do enjoy the occasional two-player event, especially the back-and-forth between partners during the round and feeling somewhat more connected to a style of golf that recreational golfers are much more apt to play. And while the Zurich does not possess the nationalistic fervor of, say, the Ryder or Solheim Cup, its appearance on the competitive calendar each spring is always welcome.
... contestants who make the 36-hole cut select the walk-up music that is played as they stride to the first tee to start each of the final two rounds ...
I also like that the teams at the Zurich are not selected by captains and committees but rather by the players themselves. And year after year, there are some very good ones who demonstrate both deft shotmaking and competitive verve. Such as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, who came from behind in the 2024 competition to win in a playoff. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the 2022 champs, too. And also the Aussie pair of Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, who won the year before, besting South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel in a playoff. (Interestingly, all four of the players who factored in ’21 have since decamped for LIV Golf.)
In addition, I enjoy how the format is somewhat different from the traditional team matches, being stroke play as opposed to match play, with two days of four-ball and two of alternate shot.
Another thing that commends the Zurich is how it represents a sort of break from the routine on tour, for professionals and spectators alike. And it seems to embody the laid-back attitude of the host city that is quite appropriately nicknamed the Big Easy. Having contestants who make the 36-hole cut select the walk-up music that is played as they stride to the first tee to start each of the final two rounds is one example of that.
So are scenes such as the one a year ago in which McIlroy took the stage – and also the microphone - at a post-tournament concert and began belting out the Journey hit, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” several strings of Mardi Gras beads hanging from his neck and a Michelob Ultra beer in his left hand. The crowd cheered as he sang, and his playing partner Lowry stood by his side, smiling broadly.
I have always believed that golf, like chemistry, is best enjoyed with a lab partner, with the Zurich being a very fine example of that.
John Steinbreder
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Top: Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images