Golf best bets: More outright bets for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans 

2024 Zurich Classic Picks & Outright Bets

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (FanDuel)

By Spencer Aguiar

With an event as volatile as the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, you might expect me to go further down the board to find my play this week. However, my model loved some of the answers it got when comparing Best Ball (also referred to as fourball) versus Alternate Shot (foursomes) results for Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.

The duo placed second in my sheet when calculating Best Ball on Thursday and Saturday, and my numbers dramatically shifted even more in their direction when I entered the Alternate Shot portion of this event.

My math indicated that McIlroy and Lowry were the most correlated tandem of the tournament since McIlroy excelled on the even holes when teeing off in my sheet, while Lowry succeeded on tee shots at odd holes.

That answer comes to fruition because McIlroy would tee off on three of the four par-5s if they decide to go that route in alternate shot, while Lowry welcomes five of the six par-4 locations over 400 yards, an area where he ranked first and fourth, respectively.

I assume they figure out the optimal route early in the week for strategizing properly, but even if they don't, the inverse of those answers still will pinpoint high-end marks because of how well their strengths blend together.

Collin Morikawa & Kurt Kitayama +1700 (bet365)

By Greg Waddell

With Scottie Scheffler taking a well-deserved week off, why not turn our attention to one of the next hottest golfers alive right now?

Collin Morikawa finished tied for third at the Masters then followed that stellar performance up with a ninth-place finish at the RBC Heritage. He was in contention well into Sunday in both events, and if not for Scheffler’s dominance zapping the life out of their pairings multiple times, Morikawa may have emerged victorious.

He's teaming up with 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Kurt Kitayama, who has quietly put together a nice season thus far with nine made cuts in 10 events. Every single time Kitayama has made a cut, he has finished in the top 40 that week. Pair his top-35 rankings in both Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Strokes Gained: Approach, and he is a high-upside partner for Morikawa.

Kitayama and Morikawa will be making their first appearance as a duo at this event, and they will be hoping their form continues this weekend. If it does, they will have a great chance to win.

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Andrew Novak & Davis Thompson +6000 (bet365)

By Matt Gannon

Andrew Novak and Davis Thompson are both midtier players who have contended over the last two seasons but are yet to breakthrough with a victory on the PGA Tour. This event does a great job of paving a path for these level of golfers to take the next step. Whether it's a launching pad to future success or just access to bigger events, these two fit the bill of a future winner of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Both Novak and Thompson find success with ball-striking, which is the recipe for success on any golf course. They have had events where they were both near the top of the field in Strokes Gained: Approach but have yet to put the full bag together. I love how balanced each of their games is, so this should be a comfortable pairing. Look for Novak and Thompson to get their first win this weekend like Nick Hardy and Davis Riley did last year.

Tom Hoge & Maverick McNealy +2700 (bet365)

By Tony Sartori

Tom Hoge has been a ball-striking machine this season, gaining strokes on approach in 10 consecutive tournaments. He has made the weekend in all 10 of those events, boasting seven top-20 finishes over that stretch.

Hoge now ranks second on Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach, trailing only Scottie Scheffler, who is basically playing like prime Tiger Woods right now. Thankfully (in terms of betting purposes), Scheffler will not be in the field this week.

On the other hand, Maverick McNealy is a high-floor complement to Hoge who should create a strong partnership. McNealy has made the weekend in eight consecutive tournaments, posting three top-15 finishes over that span. McNealy quietly ranks 17th in Strokes Gained: Total this season on Tour, so he may have more upside than many would think.

The Stanford alum also led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting last season and ranks highly again this year, so he should be the perfect pairing to capitalize on Hoge's elite ball-striking.