Zurich Classic: Best bets for this week's action at TPC Louisiana
The Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana is the PGA Tour's lone team event, which makes it difficult to handicap. It's hard enough to pick one player to perform well, but to predict two on the same team? Good luck.
However, we can examine the field and use the information available to make the most informed pick.
The host course is a 7,425-yard, par-72 track designed by Pete Dye. It will require accuracy from tee to green, as well as the ability to make a ton of birdies. Teams that typically contend at the Zurich Classic maintain pace during alternate shot (Rounds 2 and 4) and dominate while playing best ball (Rounds 1 and 3).
With an emphasis on history at the team event, birdie-making ability, and recent form, here is the smaller-than-normal list of best bets for this week's action at TPC Louisiana:
Outright to win
Kevin Kinser, Scott Brown (33-1)
Kisner and Brown make an incredible pair despite neither being a top-tier talent. They lost in a playoff during the inaugural team contest in 2017 and were in the hunt last year before faltering with a 77 on Sunday.
Brown, the weaker of the two, finished T-7 three weeks ago at the Texas Open, and few golfers in the world are playing better right now than Kisner is. This duo is trending in the right direction at the perfect time.
Chris Stroud, Jason Kokrak (50-1)
Kokrak is in exceptional form. The 33-year-old holds a share of the PGA Tour's consecutive cuts-made streak and has recorded four top-10 finishes in his last six starts.
His partner, Stroud, finished in a tie for second four tournaments ago and has past success in the team competition, with results of T-11 and T-28 the last two years. The combination Korkak's form and Stroud's experience at the event makes 50-1 a fair price to pay.
Russell Knox, Brian Stuard (50-1)
Perhaps the favorite bet this week is Knox and Stuard, who opened at 70-1 in some spots before their odds decreased drastically. Prior to his surprising missed cut at the RBC Heritage, Knox gained over 18 strokes on approach shots through his previous three events. Stuard is striking it equally well and is coming off back-to-back top-16 results.
Both players have experience in the team event at TPC Louisiana. Knox finished T-7 last year and Stuard, who won the Zurich Classic before it switched to this format, played with Stroud for the aforementioned T-11 and T-28 results.
Top American
Andrew Putnam, Max Homa (100-1)
If the top of the betting board - featuring names such as Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, and Jon Rahm - worries you, look no further than the top American team. The squad of Putnam and Homa is a worthy longshot.
If you want an additional sign of hope, 15th Club - which put together the 2018 Ryder Cup Team Europe pairings based on how well they fit each other - ran its model again, and the Putnam-Homa duo stands out for the Zurich Classic.
1st-round leader
Joel Dahmen, Brandon Harkins (75-1)
The format for Round 1 at the Zurich Classic is best ball (sometimes called four-ball), in which the lowest score between the two team members counts while playing as individuals. So, what are we looking for? Birdies.
Dahmen and Harkins pop as a tandem with deeper odds who have the ability to shoot 60 in the best ball format. They both rank inside the top 56 on the PGA Tour in birdie-or-better percentage and will face pristine scoring conditions as the first group out on Thursday morning.
Odds courtesy: Bodog