2026 PGA Picks: Zurich Classic of New Orleans Odds and Expert Betting Predictions

Last week’s RBC Heritage needed a playoff, but Matt Fitzpatrick was able to take down World #1 Scottie Scheffler to earn his 4th career PGA Tour win and his 2nd career win at the event.

This week, the PGA Tour will head to Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. This tournament will look much different than a normal event, as it will be the season’s only team event. The field will be made up of 74 teams of two players each for a total of 148 players.

Further, a ton of the top players in the world will be absent from this week’s event. However, there is still plenty of talent in the field, especially with it being a team event.

The Zurich Classic is set to begin on Thursday, April 23rd, and will run through Sunday, April 26th. With that, our article is set to break down this one-of-a-kind event by providing you with a brief course overview, the outright betting odds, my best bet to win the event, and two Top 20 Finish props. 

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The Format 

Because this is a team event, the format will also look much different than a normal tournament. As it stands, the teams will play two rounds of better ball (Thursday & Saturday) and two rounds of alternate shot (Friday & Sunday).

Better ball is the format where both players on a team hit their shots from the same spot, and then choose the best ball to hit from on their next shot, and so on until the ball is in the hole.

Alternate shot, on the other hand, is where players from a team will take turns hitting the same ball until the ball is in the hole. 

The Course

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will be played at the TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana. The course is a Par 72 and measures 7425 yards.

TPC Louisiana was designed by Pete Dye, and construction was completed back in 2004. It has hosted this event on the PGA Tour since 2005, but it wasn’t until 2017 that this tournament became a team event.

Outright Odds

Below are the top 10 outright betting odds for who will win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans per DraftKings Sportsbook.

*Alex Fitzpatrick/Matt Fitzpatrick: +1150 

*Brooks Koepka/Shane Lowry: +1550

*Sudarshan Yellamaraju/Ryan Gerard: +1700

*Andrew Novak/Ben Griffin: +1850

*Michael Thorbjornsen/Karl Vilips: +1950

*Aaron Rai/Sahith Theegala: +2150

*Johnny Keefer/Michael Brennan: +2200

*Taylor Moore/Wyndham Clark: +2300

*Marco Penge/ Matt Wallace: +2350

*Haotong Li/Jordan Smith: +2400

Best Bets

Sudarshan Yellamaraju & Ryan Gerard to Win (+1700)

My top pick to win the Zurich Classic will target the team of Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Ryan Gerard. 

Yellamaraju has burst onto the scene this season, having made 9 cuts in the 10 events he has played. This includes five Top 25 finishes, most notably a T5 at The Players Championship and a T6 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. Further, Yellamaraju ranks 12th in scoring average and 9th in birdie average.

His teammate, Gerard, has had an equally impressive 2026 season thus far, sitting in 21st place in the FedEx Cup standings. In the 11 events he has played, Gerard has made 9 cuts, which include a T2 at the Sony Open and a solo 2nd at The American Express. 

It is fair to say that his form has fallen off since early in the season; however, he ranks 20th in scoring average and 18th in birdie average.

Given that both Yellamaraju and Gerard have shown the ability to score low in any given round, backing them to win the Zurich Classic as a team will be my play.

Michael Thorbjornsen & Karl Vilips to Finish Top 20 (Including Ties) (-168)

My favorite Top Finish prop will look for the team of Michael Thorbjornsen and Kark Vilips to finish inside the Top 20. In 2025, Thorbjornsen and Vilips teamed up at this event and finished T4 with a total score of -25. 

Thorbjornsen has had a decent season to date, with four Top 25 finishes, which include a T3 at the WM Phoenix Open. Vilips, on the other hand, has just two Top 25 finishes this season in nine events.

Despite both players having had their struggles this season, playing on a team at a course they had success on last year makes backing Thorbjornsen and Vilips to finish inside the Top 20 my play.

Aaron Rai & Sahith Theegala to Finish Top 20 (Including Ties) (-162)

My second Top Finish prop will be for the team consisting of Aaron Rai and Sahith Theegala to finish inside the Top 20. 

Admittedly, Rai has not had the best season thus far, failing to finish inside the Top 20 in seven events. Theegala, on the other hand, is 26th in the FedEx Cup standings and has seven Top 25 finishes across 11 events, which include four finishes inside the Top 10. 

Rai and Theegala played in this event together in 2025, finishing T18 with a final score of -18. Therefore, because they have previously played well at this event when on a team, backing Rai and Theegala to finish inside the Top 20 will be my play.

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