Is There a Cut at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans? Format of PGA Tour’s Two-Man Team Event Explored

The Zurich Classic is dubbed to have one of the most unique formats. When it first began in 1938, it was an individual stroke-play event. However, since 2017, the format underwent a massive change, and it turned into a team event, and that is what makes it stand out among all the other events on the PGA Tour circuit. Here is all you need to know about the format of the tournament held at the TPC Louisiana, which consists of 160 players divided into teams of two!

To begin with, only golfers who have managed to acquire some kind of PGA Tour status or have a sponsorship exemption can be a part of the field. When it comes to the selection of the team, they are open to choosing their partners from the final list of participants. The championship is scheduled from April 25th to April 28th, and only 33 teams from the total of 80 teams qualify for the final rounds after making the cut at the TPC Louisiana.

The decision is finalized after 36 holes of gameplay. The qualifying teams then compete in four balls, also known as the best ball in the 1st and 3rd rounds. In this, two teams go against each other. Every player plays his ball in the rounds, and the lowest among the two is considered to be the final score for the team. Whichever team manages to score the lowest, wins the round.

This is then followed by a round of foursomes in the 2nd and 4th rounds. In this, two teams go against each other, but the players of the teams hit alternate shots, and whichever team scores the lowest, will be declared the winner.

This year, the field has an exciting bunch—three of the top 10 players from the OWGR will be participating in the event. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy will team up with Shane Lowry, and World No. 5 Xander Schauffele and World No. 8 Patrick Cantaly will join forces to compete against the rest of the field. Additionally, the defending champions, Nick Hardy and Davis Riley will aim to retain their title and secure another victory!

What is at stake for the players at the Zurich Classic?

The Zurich Classic 2024 offers a purse of $8.9 million, which is approximately $300,000 more than what was rewarded last year. The members of the winning team will get $1,286,050 each from the prize money and will also be awarded 400 FedEx Cup points. The runner-up team is estimated to get a check of over $1 million, and the top 15 teams will earn over $100,000.

Apart from that, both the players of the winning team get the added benefit of a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and its championships and signature events, corresponding to an official tour win. However, this tournament has no OWGR point addition on the players’ cards and can be seen as the only drawback of the Zurich Classic.

Are you excited for the roller coaster ride to begin? Which team do you think will take home the purse this year? Let us know in the comments section below!