The Zurich Classic of New Orleans became the lone team event on the PGA Tour schedule in 2017, with 80 duos competing in a unique scoring format. Thursday and Saturday will feature best-ball scoring at the 2023 Zurich Classic, while Friday and Sunday will be alternate shot. Presidents Cup teammates and defending champions Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele headline the 2023 Zurich Classic field. They are 4-1 favorites in the latest 2023 Zurich Classic odds, followed by Collin Morikawa and Max Homa (17-2).
No other team is priced inside of 10-1, so there are plenty of longshots available on the PGA odds board. Which teams should you include in your 2023 Zurich Classic bets?
SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up over $7,300 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.
McClure's model predicted Jon Rahm would finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. And at the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner.
In addition, the model included J.T. Poston in its best bets to win the 2022 John Deere Classic. That bet hit at +5500, and for the entire tournament, McClure's best bets returned almost $1,100. McClure's best bets included Collin Morikawa winning outright at the 2021 Open Championship, even though he was listed as a massive 40-1 longshot.
This same model has also nailed a whopping nine majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.
Now that the 2023 Zurich Classic field is locked, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising.
Top 2023 Zurich Classic predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the Zurich Classic 2023: Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the defending champions and the heavy favorites on the PGA odds board, fail to defend their title. The duo shot an event-record 29-under par across four rounds last year, but there are several 2023 Zurich Classic contenders ready to get revenge this year.
Billy Horschel and Sam Burns, who finished in second place in 2022, are back in the field this week. Homa and Morikawa are teaming up for the first time, creating a serious threat for the defending champions. There are also two teams that have been together for every edition of the Zurich Classic (Charley Hoffman/Nick Watney and Kevin Tway/Kelly Kraft). In addition, since the Zurich Classic switched to a team format, no team has successfully defended their title at TPC Louisiana.
Another surprise: Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, 28-1 longshots, make a strong run at the title. They have a much better chance to win it all than their odds imply, so they are a target for anyone looking for a big payday. Taylor has been a contender in several individual events over the last few months, which includes a second-place finish at the WM Phoenix Open.
He added a pair of top-15 finishes at the Valspar Championship and the Valero Texas Open, so he is in strong form heading into this tournament. Hadwin has only missed the cut three times in 14 tournaments this season, carding a top-15 at the Players Championship. Taylor and Hadwin are a dangerous pairing who have value as longshots on the PGA odds board.
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