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2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Odds Favor Rahm & Palmer Entering Final Round

Chris Amberley

by Chris Amberley in Golf

Updated Mar 27, 2020 · 11:42 AM PDT

Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer are +175 favorites entering the final round of the 2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Photo By @GolfCentral (Twitter)
  • Jon Rahm and teammate Ryan Palmer share the 54-hole lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Scott Stallings and Trey Mullinax
  • Nine teams are within four shots of the lead heading into the final round
  • See the updated live odds entering Sunday for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans

It’s a crowded leaderboard after 54 holes at the 2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Nine teams are within four shots of the lead as the unique team format switches back to alternate shot for the final round.

2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Odds

Golfer Position Score Rounds Book 1 Odds Book 2 Odds
Jon Rahm / Ryan Palmer T-1 -23 65, 64, 65 +175 +175
Scott Stallings / Trey Mullinax T-1 -23 61, 70, 62 +300 +300
Branden Grace / Justin Harding 3 -22 65, 68, 61 +400 +400
Rory Sabbatini / Brian Gay T-4 -20 60, 70, 66 +1400 +1400
Peter Malnati / Billy Hurley T-4 -20 63, 67, 66 +3300 +3300
Joel Dahmen / Brandon Harkins T-6 -19 63, 71, 63 +5000 +5000
Austin Cook / Andrew Landry T-6 -19 66, 70, 62 +4000 +4000
Hank Lebioda / Curtis Luck T-6 -19 67, 66, 64 +6600 +6600
Sergio Garcia / Tommy Fleetwood T-6 -19 65, 68, 64 +1200 +1200
Russell Knox / Brian Stuard T-6 -19 62, 69, 66 +2000 +2000

*Odds taken April 27 at 9pm EST

World number 11 Jon Rahm and teammate Ryan Palmer share the lead with Scott Stallings and Trey Mullinax, and it’s important to note that Rahm and Palmer posted the best score in the field in round 2, when the format was also alternate shot.

Top of the Board

The alternate shot format is wildly unpredictable, and teams can go from the first page of the leaderboard to out of contention with just one bad hole.

As such, it doesn’t make much sense to take a short number on either of the top two teams, especially since all four players are prone to spraying the ball off the tee.

Rahm, Palmer, Stallings and Mullinax all rank outside the top-70 on tour in driving accuracy, and on a course as demanding off the tee as this one, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Despite Rahm and Palmer’s success in round 2, I plan on bypassing the volatile teams up top, and starting my card with the best ball strikers in the field.

Ride With the Ryder Cup Teammates

Sergio Garcia and Tommy Fleetwood are both exceptional players off the tee and on approach.

The duo will give each other plenty of good looks at birdie, and if one or both, can get the putter rolling, they can charge up the leaderboard in a hurry.

They have plenty of alternate shot experience thanks to their Ryder Cup appearances, and they have by far the highest pedigree of any team left in the field. They had the second shortest odds when the tournament began, and getting them now at +1200 feels like great value.

Best Live Value Picks at the 2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

  1. McDowell and Stenson (+3300): The only teammates left in the field who’ve both won a major. The duo will stay out of trouble, and they compliment each other’s game nicely. Stenson is one of the best iron players in the world, and few people hole as many putts as McDowell.
  2. Lebioda and Luck (+6600): They made seven birdies in the alternate shot format in round 2 to post the second lowest score of the day (66). While they don’t have the same level of success on tour as some of their competitors, they eat up Par 5’s and have been incredibly consistent this week posting only two bogeys.
  3. Kisner and Brown (+8000): They were a popular pick pre-tournament and although they’ll start six shots back, no one in the field has played more golf together over the years than these two. In 2017, they shot a final round 60 to get into a playoff, and maybe they can rekindle some of that magic on Sunday.
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