The Zurich Classic Preview
The TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana is the site for this weeks Zurich Classic. The par 72 track measures 7,425 and was designed by Pete Dye in 2004, so it has all the usual quirks of his courses. There are a bunch of short par 4's that most golfers will club down for, so wedge play and distance control will be optimal this week. The early weather forecast is calling for windy conditions, so definitely keep an eye on that leading up to Thursday morning. There are reachable in two shot par 5's as well, so the bombers get a distinct advantage there, and we'll see plenty of eagle opportunities.
This is probably the weakest field of the year, but there is some serious talent at the top with three of the top ten players in the world, Jason Day, Justin Rose, and Rickie Fowler. After that, there are plenty of skilled players including Charley Hoffman, Smylie Kaufman and Charles Howell III who are all in the top 30 in Fed Ex Cop points. Rose is the defending champion, and is my #1 play of the week, as well as the #1 play on our slick Colussus lineup optimizer. He crushes Pete Dye tracks, and tied the tournament record with a 22 under 266, playing the last 66 holes without making a bogey. This event also holds some more clout being the penultimate event for players to earn their spot into the Players Championship next week. There are three ways to earn your spot if you're not already in; a win, a move into the top 50 in the world golf rankings, or by moving into the top 30 in the Fed Ex Cup standings.
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