That was one terrific finish at the RBC Heritage between defending champion Jordan Spieth and Matthew Fitzpatrick.  Both guys had chances to take home the 3.6 million dollar top prize but it was the Englishman earning his second PGA Tour victory of his career.  It was really nice to see such an awesome group of golfers participating at Harbour Town.  Personally, I wish Justin Thomas would have played better but that’s how things go sometimes.  The top players will now get a few weeks of rest before rejoining the tour at the Wells Fargo in Charlotte.    

This is a unique week on the PGA Tour as they head to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic.  You don’t see this format at any other event where we’ve got two players teaming up in a stroke play event.  There are 80 teams of two preparing to do battle this weekend. That is the largest field of any event on the PGA Tour.  

The teams will begin with a four-ball opening round which means both players will hit their own ball and then pick the best shot to hit their next shots from until the hole is completed.  The second round will be foursomes which is an alternate shot between the two teammates.  We will then have a cut down to the low 33 teams and ties to compete over the weekend.  The third and fourth rounds will go in the same sequence as the first and second rounds.  

This is such a unique format that only DraftKings is offering a DFS game this weekend.  FanDuel and Yahoo are choosing to ignore this tournament.  I don’t think there should be DFS around this tournament but since there is, here’s your look into the game on DraftKings.  You cannot take two players from the same pairing in your lineup.  Both players on the team are listed at the same price tag and earn the same number of points..    

Listed below will be my personal rankings of the Top 10 Pairings for the weekend in New Orleans.

#1 Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay - It’s hard not to love the defending champions this weekend.  They may be the most boring dudes on tour but they play fantastic golf especially together.  Both players finished Top 10 at the RBC Heritage last weekend but neither player has a victory during the 2022-2023 season.  

#2 Sam Burns & Billy Horschel - I may be pretty chalky to start this list but hard for me to ignore.  These two together finished 4th in 2021 and runner up in 2022.  The one downside to this team is that Billy is not at the top of his game but Sam certainly is.  The hope is that the format and course will spark Billy’s game and push them back into the Top 5.     

#3 Taylor Montgomery & Kurt Kitayama - While these two guys will be new to this event, I think these two will make a formable team.  Both guys make their homes in Las Vegas and know each other very well.  We all saw Kurt break out in a big way with his victory at the Arnold Palmer and Taylor was a rising star during the fall portion of the PGA Tour schedule.  Montgomery finished Top 8 at the Match Play because of his combination of driving distance and putting.

#4 Wyndham Clark & Beau Hossler - These two have never paired together at the Zurich but both have multiple trips to the event.  This team is intriguing because of their skill sets.  Wyndham is known for his distance off the tee and Hossler is masterful on and around the greens.  If the two of them can keep to their roles, then we could see them at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the weekend.    

#5 Collin Morikawa & Max Homa - It is hard to ignore a team with the caliber of talent like these two.  Both of them have had terrific seasons but the question will be can they mesh well together as a team.  Neither of them with various partners have garnered a Top 15 finish in this format but doesn’t mean it can’t happen this time.  I felt it would be irresponsible of me to put them any lower on the list.     

#6 Joel Dahmen & Denny McCarthy - These two could be a real sneaky success story at this tournament in this format.  This is another pair of golfers who if you could put their skill sets together, it would make for a dangerous combination.  Joel has the fantastic ball striking especially with his approach while Denny thrives on and around the greens.  Once again, they need to stay in their roles or they won’t make the weekend.       

#7 David Lipsky & Aaron Rai - I’m going back to the well with this team.  These two teamed up to finish inside the Top 5 last year.  Aaron has been playing some of his best golf since joining the PGA Tour full time while David has struggled this season.  Both of these golfers are known for being terrific ball strikers which is why they make a stout team but it will come down to their putters whether they make the cut.      

#8 Si Woo Kim & Tom Kim - These two playing together will make for must-see TV.  The skill level of these two players is just scary.  Si Woo has not been to this event since 2019.  This is Tom’s first trip to this event but he did perform fantastic at the President’s Cup.  These two are going to make unbelievable shots together and also make some flabbergasting decisions but that’s what makes them so much fun to own in DFS.       

#9 Matt Fitzpatrick & Alex Fitzpatrick - You have to fall in love with the “brothers” narrative this weekend with Matt and Alex.  A key to success at this event is trust and who do you trust more than your own brother.  We all know how good Matt Fitzpatrick is, being the reigning U.S. Open champ and the winner last weekend in Hilton Head.  Alex is a solid player and has been grinding to earn himself a spot on any tour.  They both know their strengths and weaknesses better than anyone which should prove invaluable.      

#10 Sam Saunders & Eric Cole - This is my one value long shot option on this list.  I love this pairing because they have nothing to lose.  I also love the fact that these two have known each other since childhood and have played hundreds of rounds together.  Eric Cole burst onto the scene when he finished runner up at the Honda Classic and Top 30 at THE PLAYERS.  While Sam doesn’t have that level of success, he has finished Top 5 in two of his last four starts on the Korn Ferry tour.  

DRAFTKINGS EXAMPLE LINEUPS … 

CASH LINEUP:

Burns/Horschel - $9,500

Clark/Hossler - $9,400

Rai/Lipsky - $9,000

ALTERNATIVE OPTION: Montgomery/Kitayama - $9,100

Hadwin/Taylor - $8,500

ALTERNATIVE OPTION: Fitzpatrick/Fitzpatrick - $8,200

An/Kim - $7,100

Lingmerth/Blixt - $6,300

GPP LINEUP:

Morikawa/Homa - $10,900

Kim/Kim - $9,700

ALTERNATIVE OPTION: Clark/Hossler - $9,400

Montgomery/Kitayama - $9,100

ALTERNATIVE OPTION: Dahmen/McCarthy - $8,900

Pendrith/Gligic - $7,200

Cole/Saunders - $7,000

Walker/Points - $6,100

MY ONE AND DONE SELECTION: Aaron Rai

Stacks

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