This week we dive into the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour’s only team golf event. In the seventh year of the pairs format, the event starts with four ball formats on Thursday alternating with foursomes on Friday pre-cut, then post-cut the same variation.
The TPC Louisiana in Avondale is a typical Pete Dye design with many risk-reward holes on generous fairways and fast Bermuda grass greens seeded with Poa.
Let’s dive into our picks for this event, with odds from the top sportsbooks.
Picks Summary
- Keith Mitchell & Joel Dahmen to Finish Top 10 (+400)
- Keith Mitchell & Joel Dahmen to Win Outright (+4000)
- Pierceson and Parker Coody to Win Outright (+12500)
- Pierceson and Parker Coody to Finish in Top 20 (+500)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
April 25 – 28 at TPC Louisiana
What Makes a Good Golf Pairing?
The Irish duo Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are the main attraction this week, and with their Ryder Cup experience, they are the epitome of what makes a good pair. The four-ball format is the easier variant with the best score between the two counting.
Foursomes is the awkward format as the pair play one ball in alternate shots after alternate tee shots. This is because the players will tee off on either odd or even numbered holes, which will be dictated by their practice when deciding how each hole plays to the individual player’s strengths.
For example, one player might play with a natural draw while the other has a natural fade, so whenever possible, they will utilize those strengths on the holes that require them.
So, keep an eye out for those teams that have experience as a pair maybe at amateur or collegiate level such as last year’s winners, Davis Riley and Nick Hardy.
Will Keith and Joel Gel?
The question on many golf fans’ lips this week is will Keith Mitchell and Joel Dahmen gel?
Keith Mitchell has shown a liking for the format with two top 6 finishes in the last three years and has been in consistent ball-striking form from tee to green this season which is the perfect remit for TPC Louisiana.
Dahmen’s Improvement
The self-deprecating Dahmen has seen palpable improvement in his form recently since the Full Swing Season 2, which featured his travails with caddy Geno Bonnalie last year when he completely lost form. The emotional exchange between the two on a flight home after another missed cut resonated with golf fans around the world, as did the Season 1 episode of Full Swing that showed Dahmen’s difficult childhood when his mother sadly passed away during his teenage years.
Keith Mitchell and Joel Dahmen have been known to wear their hearts on their sleeves so this partnership will either be a marriage made in heaven or a quickie divorce, but at the price of +4000, we are prepared to chance on the excitable team this week in the Zurich Classic.
Golf Pick: Keith Mitchell & Joel Dahmen to Win Outright (+4000) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Keith Mitchell & Joel Dahmen to Finish Top 10 (+400) at Bet365
What About the Coody or The Hojgaard Twins?
Interestingly, this week we have two sets of twins competing for the Zurich Classic, the better-known ones are the Hojgaard twins from Denmark, Rasmus and Nicolai but what about the chances of Parker and Pierceson Coody?
Good Trajectory
Recent events on the PGA Tour have seen the Coody twins trending nicely into form and their progress through collegiate and amateur ranks has been eerily similar. They do say that twins sense each others’ feelings and can feed off it, indeed the Coody twins are something of an example of such with their careers thus far.
Both had solid Corales Puntacana tournaments last week in Mexico with top 20 finishes, and Parker finishing in 6th, which was a career-best finish.
The Coody twin’s heritage is steeped in golf, with their grandfather Charles a former Masters champion in 1971.
At the sporting price of +12500, we recommend a small bet on the Coody twins making their own piece of history this week at the Zurich Classic.
Golf Pick: Pierceson and Parker Coody to Win Outright (+12500) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Pierceson and Parker Coody to Finish in Top 20 (+500) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
