Before taking a look at the odds for the next tournament on the PGA Tour calendar, it’s time to take a look at the previous champions of this tournament.
Advertisement
2025 – Andrew Novak/Ben Griffin
2024 – Shane Lowry/Rory McIlroy
2023 – Nick Hardy/Davis Riley
2022 – Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele
Can Griffin and Novak repeat as champions in 2026? Let’s take a look at the golfers who are the favorites to win. These odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook, but it’s always recommended to find the best odds for your plays.
Zurich Classic Odds:
-
Fitzpatrick/Fitzpatrick (+1175)
-
Yellamaraju/Gerard (+1750)
-
Thorbjornsen/Vilips (+1950)
When it comes to selections for a tournament like Zurich, you have to choose the places in terms of the plays. This is a team event and the format is worth mentioning. Here is the summary of the format:
Advertisement
Rounds 1 and 3: best ball
Rounds 2 and 4: Alternate shot
With the format out of the way, finding golfers who work well together is also something to keep in mind. Golf is typically an individual sport, and when another player is thrown into the mix, things can get complicated quickly.
However, as I always do, I like to start with my favorite and most long-shot picks for the tournament. The favorite choice is the one I like the most as an absolute winner. For the longshot winner, it is a golfer who has more than +2000 odds of winning. It’s a risky choice for a reason, and finding it can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Advertisement
Here are my favorite and riskiest picks for the Zurich Classic:
Favorite: Fitzpatrick/Fitzpatrick (+1175)
Long shot: Rai/Theegala (+2150)
I love picking brothers in this event and while they may not always win, they usually place in the top 10. Anyone who has a brother who also plays golf knows that they can tell you things that you couldn’t say to another professional. Believe it or not, it is important to go with groups that are comfortable with each other.
As for Rai and Theegala, Rai is playing well right now and Theegala has certainly struggled at times. Hopefully in a team format they can work well together.
Advertisement
The next step is the Top 5, Top 10 and Top 20 plays for the next tournament. I offer two selections in each category, hoping to maximize our return.
top 5
Novak/Griffin (+305)
Fitzpatrick/Fitzpatrick (+210)
Like I said about the brothers, I’ll take the Fitzpatricks to at least the Top 5. Matt Fitzpatrick is coming off a win at Hilton Head, SC and is one of the best golfers in the game right now. Novak and Griffin won the event last year, so I’ll count on that experience to help them finish well.
top 10
Koepka/Lowry (+126)
Rai/Theegala (+158)
If there was one group I would love to mic during this event, it would be Koepka and Lowry. Lowry won the event two years ago with Rory McIlroy, but how will he play with Koepka? There is a lot at stake for Brooks Koepka and I am sure he would like to win an event to help him qualify for exclusive events and more in the future.
Advertisement
20 best
Horschel/Hoge (+142)
Smotherman/Putnam (+106)
The choice of Horschel and Hoge is an instinctive choice for two players who have had recent success on the PGA Tour. As for Smotherman, he finished T2 on Cognizant and T13 on Players. It’s been a rollercoaster this season, but hopefully he and Putnam can find their way to a top-20 finish.
For bonus plays, these are picks that I don’t necessarily get hung up on, but that still provide value for some who want more exotic plays outside of the aforementioned picks. Sometimes bonus plays are combinations, double chances, triple chances, and even some fun plays for that particular event.
As this is such a one-time event, there are no bonus plays for this week. They’ll be back next week for the next traditional event on the PGA Tour calendar.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com.