Power Rankings: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

The weekly anticipation until tee times drop and featured groups are released on Tuesdays has nothing on the level of advance intrigue concerning the makeup of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Some partnerships in the two-man competition are telegraphed weeks and months in advance, but when the field publishes with confirmations of all 80 teams, the buzz is unique. An explanation of the format, analysis of TPC Louisiana and more information is detailed beneath a ranking of 10 teams and five others teams to consider. RELATED: The First Look | How it works POWER RANKINGS: ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS OTHERS CONSIDERED Joel Dahmen & Lanto Griffin Max Homa & Talor Gooch Richy Werenski & Peter Uihlein Louis Oosthuizen & Charl Schwartzel Alex Noren & Henrik Norlander The Zurich Classic of New Orleans does not contribute to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, so Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will be abridged. Naturally, the fun isn’t limited to the fans to digest who’s teamed with whom at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. For all 160 committed to play, it’s a unique wrinkle in the middle of the season and positioned not long after an exceptionally challenging stretch of competition. When the local food and culture are accepted as perks of making the trip, it could feel like a bonus since guys play any variety of home games with a partner. Best ball will be used for scoring in the first and third rounds; alternate shot will measure performance in the second and fourth rounds. Since last season’s edition was canceled, this is the first staging of the four (since 2017) with a 36-hole cut of low 33 teams and ties. Each member of the winning team is credited with an official victory and the customary two-year membership exemption (or extension of one year up to the maximum of five, if applicable). Each winner receives exemptions into next month’s PGA Championship, the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions and the 2022 PLAYERS Championship, among other invitationals. While bragging rights are forever, those rewards exceed whatever exchange occurs on the last green of their private matches. Members of the top-five teams at the conclusion of the tournament will be exempt into next week’s Valspar Championship via the top-10 provision, if necessary. Another benefit exists in the absence of a negative; that is, because Official World Golf Ranking points are not assigned, the tournament does not contribute to the divisor for all of the entrants. So, a missed cut does no harm. A couple of days after Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer celebrated victory at TPC Louisiana in 2019, the course underwent a six-month renovation. Its wide-ranging attention included a modernization of the fairways and greens fitted with Celebration bermudagrass and TifEagle bermuda, respectively. Only the putting surfaces have been overseeded. They’re prepared to run up to 12-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter, weather pending. It’s likely that the greens will be as advertised as conditions for the opening round should be perfect. Things will turn come Friday and into Saturday due to a reasonable threat for inclement weather. With it, temperatures will rise into the mid-to-upper 70s. They’ll stay there for Sunday’s finale, which is forecast to be dry. Wind will be a persistent variable throughout the tournament. The latest versions of the greens on the par-5 second and par-3 14th holes have new hole locations. Upwards of nine dozen bunkers were rebuilt and reshaped to reflect a proper challenge. Improving the drainage across the property was the through line for the work. TPC Louisiana is a stock par 72 that stretches to 7,425 yards. Despite welcoming fairways framed by rough trimmed to 1.75 inches, it’s not a bomber’s paradise, but distance off the tee has increased since the advent of the team competition. However, hitting greens in regulation has gone in the other direction. Because the greens are undulating and segmented, precision on approach is at a premium. That’s multiplied in best ball with two looks into every green for as many as two rounds. Ball-strikers, short-game wizards and streaky profiles define who prevailed and contended in the first three spins of the team event, but that doesn’t rule anyone out. It merely validates the essence of the competition. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers; Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch

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