First Round Leader Odds at 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
- The Zurich Classic of New Orleans from TPC Louisiana tees off Thursday, April 21st
- Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland are +1400 favorites to be atop the leaderboard after day one
- See the best bets and odds to grab the first-round lead at TPC Louisiana in the article below
Things are much different than usual this week on the PGA Tour, with the Zurich Classic of New Orleans being the only official team competition on the calendar. 80 teams of two players are teeing it up, with the first round using the four-ball (best ball) format. Both golfers play their own ball throughout the hole, and they then select whoever did better for their score.
Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland are favorites in the 2022 Zurich Classic odds, followed by Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Scottie Scheffler, fresh off his Masters title, partners with Ryan Palmer.
There are plenty of opportunities for Zurich Classic sleepers and longshots to make some noise this week, with the field being very top heavy, but then the talent levelling off after the top tandems.
2022 Zurich Classic First Round Leader Odds
| Duos | Odds | Tee Time |
|---|---|---|
| Collin Morikawa/Viktor Hovland | +1400 | 7:39am |
| Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele | +1600 | 12:44pm |
| Scottie Scheffler/Ryan Palmer | +1600 | 12:44pm |
| Cameron Smith/Marc Leishman | +1800 | 7:39am |
| Sam Burns/Billy Horschel | +2000 | 12:57pm |
| Tommy Fleetwood/Sergio Garcia | +2200 | 7:52am |
| Shane Lowry/Ian Poulter | +2500 | 8:05am |
| Max Homa/Talor Gooch | +2500 | 8:05am |
| Bubba Watson/Harold Varner III | +3000 | 12:57pm |
| Joaquin Niemann/Mito Pereira | +3000 | 1:10pm |
| Tyrrell Hatton/Danny Willett | +3500 | 7:52am |
| Will Zalatoris/Davis Riley | +3500 | 8:44am |
| Keegan Bradley/Brendan Steele | +4000 | 12:31pm |
| Graeme McDowell/Seamus Power | +4000 | 12:57pm |
| Sungjae Im/Byeong Hun An | +4000 | 1:10pm |
Odds as of April 20th at DraftKings Sportsbook
The forecast is expected to mainly sunny throughout the day. Temperatures will be in the low 70’s for those teeing off first, reaching mid 80’s for the afternoon wave. It will be windy, with gusts ranging from 13 miles per hour in the morning and reaching as high as 19 miles per hour for those finishing last.
A benefit for those teeing it up in the morning is the exact same as it is every week – less bumpy greens with fewer players chewing them up.
Burns & Horschel Love This Track
Billy Horschel and Sam Burns very nearly won the title last year, as they finished tied for fourth, just two strokes out of a playoff. Had they emerged victorious, it would’ve been Horschel’s third victory at this venue, having won as an individual in 2013, and as part of a team in 2018.
For the campaign, both have been strong starters on Thursday’s as well, with Horschel ranking fourth best (of those competing), and Burns ninth.
2021-22 PGA Tour First Round Scoring Average Leaders
| Golfer | Average Score | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Patrick Cantlay | 67.25 | +1600 |
| 2. Joaquin Niemann | 67.67 | +3000 |
| 4. Cameron Smith | 67.78 | +1800 |
| 6. Billy Horschel | 68.30 | +2000 |
| 7. Patton Kizzire | 68.31 | +5000 |
| 10. Scottie Scheffler | 68.67 | +1600 |
| T-13. Talor Gooch | 68.93 | +2500 |
| T-13. Sungjae Im | 68.93 | +4000 |
| T-15. Sam Burns | 69.00 | +2000 |
| T-15. Chris Kirk | 69.00 | +4500 |
In the last twelve rounds, Burns is first in strokes gained putting (winning two starts ago at the Valspar), which will be critical to make a ton of birdies, and Horschel is eighth in ball striking.
- Pick: Sam Burns/Billy Horschel (+2000)
Will Zalatoris a Ball Striking Machine
It should come to no surprise for fans of golf that Will Zalatoris is a ball striking savant. For the campaign, he’s tops in strokes gained: tee-to-green. The issue with him is putting, though he gained strokes on the dance floor en-route to a T-6th at the Masters. The event before that, he made it all the way to the quarter-finals of the match play.
Will Zalatoris’ Strokes Gained Stats Last 24 Rounds
| Tee-To-Green | Ball Striking | Approach | Total | Off-The-Tee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
His partner Davis Riley was runner-up three starts ago at the Valspar, and he’s 23rd in birdie average this year. Taking out his last start at the RBC Heritage, he had shot 70 or better in his last eleven opening rounds.
- Pick: Will Zalatoris/Davis Riley (+3500)
Bradley and Steele Contended Last Year
Like Sam Burns and Billy Horschel, Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele also tied for fourth at this championship last year, where they were a shot from matching the best first round score.
Of the two, Bradley has been more consistent of late, putting together three finishes of eleventh or better in the last five times teeing it up (5th, T-8th, T-11). In his last twelve rounds, the 2011 PGA Champ has had great strokes gained numbers.
Bradley’s Strokes Gained Stats Last Twelve Rounds
| Tee-To-Green | Total | Around-The-Green | Off-The-Tee | Ball Striking | Approach | Short Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 |
In that same time frame, Steele is first in SG: off-the-tee, and fourth in both ball striking and tee-to-green. Two starts ago, Steele was T-13th at the Players Championship, where he gained a whopping 9.5 shots against his competitors tee-to-green.
- Pick: Keegan Bradley/Brendan Steele (+4000)
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Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.
