This week’s stop on the PGA TOUR schedule brings one of the more unique formats we see all season: the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana.

Before getting into the course breakdown and identifying the true horses for courses, it’s worth understanding what makes this event different. The Zurich Classic has been a staple on TOUR since 1958, but in 2017, it shifted to a team format. It now stands as the only official FedExCup event featuring two-player teams.

The field consists of 74 teams totaling 148 players. In the first and third rounds, teams play Four-ball, where each golfer plays their own ball, and the lower score on each hole counts for the team. The second and final rounds shift to Foursomes, or alternate shot, where teammates take turns hitting the same ball.

Whether this format lands for everyone is up for debate, but it does bring a different feel to a week that can otherwise blend into the schedule. It gives players a chance to team up, lean on each other, and show a version of team golf we typically only see at the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup.

There’s also a little more at stake than just the prize pool. For some players in this field, this week presents a real opportunity to secure a two-year exemption on TOUR with a win. That adds an added level of urgency and competitiveness to the overall event.

TPC Louisiana fits the mold of a classic TPC parkland layout. It stretches to 7,425 yards and plays as a par 72, but the biggest thing of note is the lack of danger. There are only seven holes with water in play, the fairways are wide and forgiving, and the rough sits around two inches, so there’s very little penalty for missing slightly off the tee.

Much like other TPC courses, this is a ball-strikers' course. The small greens help put a premium on approach. Due to the lack of penalty off the tee, distance matters, with emphasis on length and dialed-in irons.

From a golfer profile standpoint, this sets up well for players who are comfortable on TPC-style layouts, can drive it long, and can make birdies in bunches.

Unlike other Horses for Courses pieces I’ve written this season, this one leans less on isolating specific traits for each player and more on a cumulative model. The first stat that stood out was Birdie or Better Percentage. It’s non-negotiable this week. Golfers must go low. Winning scores at this event have consistently been in the high 20-under range. Since the format change in 2017, the winning score has been 25 under or better in all but two editions: Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman won at 20 under in 2021, and Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy at 22 under in 2018.

Here are the top golfers in Birdie or Better Gained Percentage over the last 36 rounds (data via RickRunGood):

• 1. Matt Fitzpatrick
• 2. Troy Merritt
• 3. Taylor Montgomery
• 4. Sudarshan Yellamaraju
• 5. Blades Brown

While Birdie or Better Percentage is critical, it only tells part of the story. Golfers still have to create those opportunities, and that starts with approach play. At a course like TPC Louisiana, where driving difficulty is minimal, the approach play is the biggest separator.

That’s why I approached the highest-weighted metric in the model. If they aren't consistently giving themselves looks, then they won’t keep up at this birdie-fest.

Because a portion of this field competes in weaker events or on other tours, I used weighted Strokes Gained: Approach rather than raw numbers.

Top golfers in weighted Strokes Gained: Approach:

• 1. Matt Fitzpatrick
• 2. Shane Lowry
• 3. Ryan Gerard
• 4. Austin Smotherman
• 5. Sahith Theegala

For anyone looking to build out a similar model, here’s the full list of metrics I used.

Once everything was weighted, I assigned each golfer a rating based on their cumulative score across those categories. From there, I paired teammates, combined their scores, and ranked each team by that total. The idea was to identify which duos have the strongest overall profile for this specific setup, rather than relying on a single golfer to carry the team.

Key metrics:

• 1. Weighted Strokes Gained: Approach
• 2. Birdie or Better Gained Percentage
• 3. Driving Distance
• 4. Driving Accuracy
• 5. SG: Putting
• 6. Par Scoring
• 7. GIR Percentage
• 8. Bonus Putting
• 9. SG: TPC Louisiana

Individual player rank:

• 1. Matt Fitzpatrick
• 2. Ryan Gerard
• 3. Sahith Theegala
• 4. David Lipsky
• 5. Sam Ryder
• 6. Sudarshan Yellamaraju

Cumulative team ranking:

• 1. Ryan Gerard/Sudarshan Yellamaraju
• 2. Haotong Li/Jordan Smith
• 3. Alex Smalley/Hayden Springer
• 4. Matt Fitzpatrick/Alex Fitzpatrick
• 5. Austin Smotherman/Andrew Putnam
• 6. Brooks Koepka/Shane Lowry
• 7. Austin Eckroat/Davis Thompson
• 8. Sam Stevens/Zach Bauchou
• 9. John Parry/Dan Brown
• 10. Stephan Jaeger/Jackson Suber

Ryan Gerard and Sudarshan Yellamaraju to win +1700 (DraftKings)

When David Ford withdrew and Ryan Gerard announced that Sudarshan Yellamaraju would be his partner, I was all-in immediately. I thought the pairing had real upside before I even did any research on the event.

I’ll admit, I was a little surprised by the opening number. But once you consider how the golf betting community tends to gravitate toward young, in-form players, it started to make more sense. The market was always going to show interest in this team.

It wasn’t until I finished building out the model that I knew. This was the team I wanted to back, and the number was more than justified. If you told me beforehand that they would rank first in my cumulative team ratings, I probably would’ve pushed back. But once you go metric by metric, the case becomes pretty clear.

Looking strictly at the approach numbers, Gerard ranks third in this field, while Yellamaraju sits 13th. They also bring plenty of length off the tee. Gerard averages around 302 yards, while Yellamaraju pushes closer to 313.

More importantly, both players can make birdies in bunches. Gerard ranks 12th in the field in Birdie or Better Percentage, while Yellamaraju is fourth. That combination of approach play and scoring ability is exactly what you’re looking for in this format.

It feels like both guys are consistently playing solid golf. They can string together birdie runs, but at times, one or two holes have kept them from truly contending.

Individually, both players have shown flashes this season. Ryan Gerard finished runner-up at the Sony Open in Hawaii and followed that with another T2 at The American Express. He also put together a solid showing at the Masters.

Much like Gerard, Yellamaraju has had his share of strong finishes. He posted a T13 at the Sony Open, finished T5 at THE PLAYERS Championship, and added a T6 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

What really stands out is iron play. Since February, Yellamaraju has gained strokes on approach in every event.

This team is fun, but it’s more than that. They graded out as the highest-rated pairing in my model by a clear margin. At that point, it wasn’t a tough decision. This was a number I wasn’t going to pass up.