THE OVERVIEW AVONDALE, La. – Team chemistry is the X factor at this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Whether it’s playing with a good friend, a former college teammate or someone from your home state or country, success in the team format may very well come down to which twosome gels together the best. A year ago, the winners were Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith – a Swede and an Aussie who both live in the Jacksonville, Florida, area and have become good buddies. They beat Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown – lifelong friends from South Carolina – in a playoff that extended to Monday morning. “Obviously, we bonded pretty well last year,â€� Smith said Wednesday on the eve of his team’s defense. “Just being able to give each other a pat on the back or a slap across the face when the time was right. It definitely helped us, I think, just knowing each other so well.â€� Blixt and Smith are not the same age – Blixt, at 34, is 10 years older – but they showed that age commonality was not the biggest factor. Same for Jordan Spieth (age 24) and Ryan Palmer (age 41), who finished solo fourth. Spieth and Palmer have the Texas connection, though, even though they attended arch-rival schools – Texas for Spieth, Texas A&M for Palmer. A Longhorn and an Aggie generally are more confrontational than comforting, but they made it work last year. “We’ve played a lot of practice rounds together going back the last few years, so we know each other’s games,â€� Spieth said. “We have a good time out here.â€� Added Palmer: “I’m not sure how some of these teams are teamed together but definitely knowing this format was going to start, I wanted to play with someone I knew real well and that I was close with. It’s worked out.â€� A big key with friends is never having to apologize for a bad shot. A guilt-free conscience is conducive to lower scores. “We both know we’re not going to get a sorry from one another,â€� said Justin Thomas, who’s playing with Bud Cauley. The two former University of Alabama players tied for fifth a year ago. “Obviously I know he’s not going to try to put me in a bad spot. I don’t think he will too often, so I’m not that worried about it. If I hit one where I’m not aiming, I’ll just kind of give him a shrug and let him do his thing from the trees.â€� Playing with a friend can also make the rounds more enjoyable even for those who aren’t in contention. Jim Furyk and David Duval have combined for 30 PGA TOUR wins and are two of eight players in TOUR history to shoot 59 (with Furyk also shooting a record-low 58). But they are under no illusions this week. Duval has made just 13 starts on TOUR since 2015, and Furyk is making just his seventh start of the season. “We’re probably the rustiest team in the field,â€� Duval said. Still, they plan to have fun. They’ve known each other for a long time, and their wives are good friends. It will be a good week no matter how it plays out on the leaderboard. “You think about folks out there listening, when they go play golf, their idea of golf is hanging out with their buddies, right,â€� Furyk said. “Friends, folks they love playing golf with, enjoy being around. “That’s what this event gives us. Dave and I been friends for a long time. I enjoy his company.â€� And if they surprise some people and contend this weekend, you’ll know why. THREE TEAMS TO PONDER Patrick Reed-Patrick Cantlay Since their T-14 finish here last year, Cantlay won the PGA TOUR event in Las Vegas. We hear Reed also won a tournament. Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson Wonder if they’ll casually display their Olympic medals in the locker room just to intimidate the other teams? Bubba Watson-Matt Kuchar A new team for this year, but they have played together before – the 2014 Ryder Cup, where they lost in Four-balls to the team directly above. THE FLYOVER The closing hole at TPC Louisiana ranked as the most difficult of the four par 5s. The 585-yard 18th played to a stroke average of 4.630 – the first round with Foursomes last year was 4.988, and Four-balls in the second round was 4.313. Water runs down the entire right side of the large fairway. THE LANDING ZONE The 492-yard 12th hole, the longest par 4 at TPC Louisiana, ranked as the most difficult hole last year. The stroke average of 4.076 made it just one of four holes that played over par. Hitting a slight draw is the preferred shot off the tee, requiring a long iron with fade for the approach. Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms will be possible Thursday morning as a cold front sweeps through the area. All of the precipitation should push east by midday, with clearing skies for the afternoon. Another fast-moving system will sweep through Friday afternoon that could produce isolated showers. Otherwise, mainly dry conditions can be expected with partly cloudy skies. High pressure builds over the region this weekend with mostly sunny skies with temperatures warming into the upper 70s to around 80 degrees.â€� For the latest weather news from Avondale, Louisiana, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I’m just playing with a better version of me, so it’s fantastic. BY THE NUMBERS 17th – Current Strokes Gained: Putting ranking by Bud Cauley. Last season, he ranked 154th in that category. It’s the second-best improvement in that category on the PGA TOUR this season (Branden Grace has gone from 148th to 5th). 1 – Number of teams in the field in which both players are ranked inside the top 15 in the FedExCup standings. Also number of teams in which both players have won a PGA TOUR event this season. Patrick Reed-Patrick Cantlay fulfill both those descriptions. 3 – Number of teams in which both players have won majors – Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen/Charl Schwartzel, Jim Furyk/David Duval SCATTERSHOTS Jordan Spieth tried to sneak in the University of Texas fight song as his team’s walk-up music. Partner Ryan Palmer – who attended Texas A&M – would have none of it. “He got busted,â€� Palmer said. Their first choice is “Drunk Last Nightâ€� by the Eli Young Band. As for the walk-up music for the defending champs? Jonas Blixt thought about tapping into his Swedish roots to choose an ABBA song. “We talked about ABBA, but we don’t know if too many people under the age of 35 knows who they are,â€� Blixt shrugged. So and Cameron Smith went with Levels by Avicii. Justin Thomas and Bud Cauley make a formidable golf duo. They might even be better in another setting – the billiards table. “Unfortunately, this isn’t a pool tournament,â€� Thomas said. “Might like our chances more.â€� Sam Burns (partner with William McGirt) grew up in Louisiana and attended the Zurich Classic a handful of times, once with veteran David Toms. But he had never played TPC Louisiana until this week. “Starting to figure it all out,â€� he said.
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