Many of the best golfers in the world will need to put faith in someone other than themselves to win the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which tees off from TPC Louisiana on Thursday. The 2024 Zurich Classic features 80 teams of two golfers with each golfer picking their partner to create the 2024 Zurich Classic field. The team of Nick Hardy and Davis Riley won last year at 30 under, but they are 80-1 longshots in the latest 2024 Zurich Classic odds to repeat.
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay paired together last year and finished T-4 and they are the 5-1 favorites to win the Zurich Classic 2024. Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 golfer in the world, is making his Zurich Classic debut and will partner with his close friend Shane Lowry. McIlroy and Lowry are listed at 8-1 in the latest 2024 Zurich Classic odds. Before making any 2024 Zurich Classic picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Our proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up more than $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.
McClure's model correctly predicted Scottie Scheffler would finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Masters, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players Championship, and the RBC Heritage this season. McClure also included Hideki Matsuyama in his best bets to win the 2024 Genesis Invitational. That bet hit at +9000, and for the entire tournament, McClure's best bets returned nearly $1,000.
The model also predicted Jon Rahm would be victorious at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022.
In addition, McClure's best bets included Nick Taylor (70-1) winning the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, Jason Day (17-1) winning outright at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, and Rickie Fowler (14-1) finishing on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 11 majors entering the weekend and hit the Masters three straight years. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.
Now that the Zurich Classic 2024 field is finalized, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.
Top 2024 Zurich Classic predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the Zurich Classic 2024: McIlroy and Lowry, who've combined for 26 wins on the PGA Tour, barely crack the top five. McIlroy is set to play in his fourth consecutive event when he tees off at TPC Louisiana. He's failed to crack the top-10 in seven of his eight starts on the PGA Tour this season, while Lowry has finished T-19 or worse in six of his past eight events.
Both players have struggled mightily on the green this season. McIlroy enters the 2024 Zurich Classic ranked 78th in strokes gained: putting (0.119) and 72nd in putting average (1.758), a big reason why he ranks 98th in scoring average (70.44). Lowry, meanwhile, ranks 99th in strokes gained: putting (-0.012) and 143rd in putts per round (29.38), which doesn't bode well for their chances to finish on top of the leaderboard this week.
Another surprise: Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith, 35-1 longshots, make a strong run at the title. They have a much better chance to win it all than their odds imply, so they're a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Conners has two career PGA Tour victories, including last year's Valero Texas Open, and although Pendrith is seeking his first PGA Tour victory, the 32-year-old has finished 11th or better in three of 11 tournaments this season.
Pendrith pairs those three strong finishes with six missed cuts, but Conners strengths can help counter if Pendrith goes cold. There's a trust that goes well beyond the golf course between the two of them with being the best man at each others' weddings. They were college teammates and roommates and have spent countless hours together on the golf course. Conners has made the cut in each of his first 11 PGA Tournaments of the season, so his consistency should benefit the duo in an environment unlike any other on the PGA Tour.See who else to pick here.
How to make 2024 Zurich Classic picks
The model is also targeting three other teams with odds of 35-1 or longer to make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model's picks here.
Who will win the 2024 Zurich Classic, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the Zurich Classic 2024 odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected Zurich Classic leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 11 golf majors, including the last three Masters.
2024 Zurich Classic odds, field
Get full 2024 Zurich Classic picks, best bets, and predictions here.
Patrick Cantlay / Xander Schauffele +500
Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry +800
Will Zalatoris / Sahith Theegala +1100
Collin Morikawa / Kurt Kitayama +1600
Tom Hoge / Maverick McNealy +2500
Matt Fitzpatrick / Alex Fitzpatrick +2500
Taylor Pendrith / Corey Conners +3500
Rasmus Højgaard / Nicolai Højgaard +3500
Taylor Montgomery / Ben Griffin +4000
Sepp Straka / Brice Garnett +4000
Nick Taylor / Adam Hadwin +4000
Keith Mitchell / Joel Dahmen +4000
Brice Garnett / Sepp Straka +4000
Thomas Detry / Robert MacIntyre +4500
Doug Ghim / Chan Kim +4500
Davis Thompson / Andrew Novak +4500
Daniel Berger / Victor Perez +4500
Kevin Yu / C.T. Pan +5000
Billy Horschel / Tyson Alexander +5000
Beau Hossler / Sam Ryder +5000
Andrew Putnam / Joe Highsmith +5000
Aaron Rai / David Lipsky +5000
Thorbjorn Olesen / Matt Wallace +6500
Taylor Moore / Matt NeSmith +6500
K.H. Lee / Michael Kim +6500
Greyson Sigg / Chesson Hadley +6500
Gary Woodland / Lee Hodges +6500
Garrick Higgo / Ryan Fox +6500
Austin Eckroat / Chris Gotterup +6500
Steve Stricker / Matt Kuchar +8000
Nate Lashley / Rafael Campos +8000
Luke List / Henrik Norlander +8000
Kevin Streelman / Martin Laird +8000
Dylan Wu / Justin Lower +8000
Davis Riley / Nick Hardy +8000
Chandler Phillips / Jacob Bridgeman +8000
Carson Young / Ben Martin +8000
Ben Silverman / Kevin Dougherty +8000
Zach Johnson / Ryan Palmer +10000
Vincent Norrman / Jorge Campillo +10000
Nico Echavarria / Max Greyserman +10000
Alex Smalley / Matti Schmid +10000
Thriston Lawrence / Aldrich Potgieter +13000
Ryan Brehm / Mark Hubbard +13000
Justin Suh / Rico Hoey +13000
Jhonattan Vegas / Bronson Burgoon +13000
J.J. Spaun / Hayden Buckley +13000
Erik Barnes / Harrison Endycott +13000
Chad Ramey / Martin Trainer +13000
Carl Yuan / Zecheng Dou +13000
Sam Stevens / Paul Barjon +15000
Peter Malnati / Russell Knox +15000
