2024 Zurich Classic: Round 3 Tee Time and Pairings Explored

Following a relatively free-flowing fourballs in the first round of the Zurich Classic 2024 on Thursday, the second round took interesting turns. For foursomes round 2, where teammates played alternate shots, no team was spared conflict. On the one hand, Matt Fitzpatrick missed a short putt that later on Alex Fitzpatrick took charge of, and on the other, Will Zalatoris messed up a shot from the woods that Sahith Theegala had to retry.

However, despite all the ordeals, four teams emerged as the leaders for yet another round of fourballs at the TPC Louisiana. Among them, the most anticipated team is Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, who made their debut this year. The pair are joined by Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak; Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard; and Aaron Rai and David Lipski. All four duos are currently 13-under, 131. The upcoming field in New Orleans will indeed be a joyride!

When will the earliest duo kick off on Saturday?

Zurich Classic brings about a refreshing new format for golf fans to watch, standing out from all the other weekly events that are individual stroke plays on the PGA Tour. With an air of competitiveness and nervousness, the third round is set to begin a little past 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 27. And unlike pairings in regular events, this is a team tournament, so the duos don’t change; however, the pairs are paired with another team for their tee times!

Leading the pairs onto the field will be Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, the defending champions. They will tee off alongside Chandler Phillips and Jacob Bridgman at 7:14 a.m.

Here’s when the rest of the field will tee off:

With Hardy and Riley returning for a shot at defending their title this year, and well, not to forget the string debutants, the field this year is undoubtedly pretty solid. But the question is, who has the highest chance of taking away the win in the much more versatile field?

The top pairs to look out for at the Zurich Classic

Throughout the inception of the tournament this year, there has pretty much been one fan-favorite pair for the field. That would be the 2022 Zurich Classic champion team, consisting of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. They finished at the T4 last year and are in full form to take away the limelight from the defending champion team! However, they are currently sitting in the T5 position, tied with five other teams.

Another close fight for the third round will be between the current tied leaders, Ryan Brehm & Mark Hubbard, and Davis Thompson & Andrew Novak. On Thursday, the two had just a tiny one-stroke difference between them, with Thompson’s team in the lead. However, Brehm and Hubbard held their own on Friday too, and with a score of 69, they caught up to the leaders.

Last, but not least, are the other two leading teams. Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry and Aaron Rai & David Lipsky. Both duos have been consistent with their play during the first two rounds and have kept a constant lead. Now that they are paired up together too, the pressure will undoubtedly be on!

It certainly will be interesting to find out how the leaderboard changes on Saturday, if it does! Will either of the teams surpass each other, or will they continue the draw streak? Stay tuned to find out!