Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick Are the Team to Beat at the Zurich Classic

Grab a partner and head to Louisiana for the TOUR’s only team event! The Zurich Classic will pit 74 teams of two against one another in a unique and exciting format. Each team will play one round of best ball and one round of alternate shot before a 36-hole cut. They will repeat that rotation on the weekend before a champion is crowned.

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The best ball format will provide fireworks across the course and a score well under par will be required to keep pace. Alternate shot, on the other hand, is a much more difficult format that requires trust and shot-making from both partners to achieve a low score. The defending champions, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, are back in the field again this week and they won’t go quietly in their title defense.

Image: Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak celebrate on the 18th green at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Winner: Matt Fitzpatrick & Alex Fitzpatrick (+1100)

Quite simply, this is the best team in the field. They are intimately comfortable with one another (brothers!) and they’ve played this event together before. That checks off just about every box and it doesn’t even consider how good both have been this year. Matt has already claimed two victories on the PGA TOUR and a runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS. Alex just won the Indian Open on the DP World Tour and has six top-25 finishes in his seven starts this year. There’s really only one thing left to do – win and ensure Alex gets his PGA TOUR card immediately.

Winner: Austin Smotherman & Andrew Putnam (+4500)

Admittedly, this team needs everything to go right to win, but that’s why they are +4500 and not +1500. They might be the best team in teams of “complimentary skill-sets”. Smotherman has proven to be a top tier ball-striker but he struggles on the putting surfaces. That’s where Putnam shines! If they can stay “on script” during alternate shot, they could be a dangerous team. If they get out of sync, this team will struggle mightily. The risk, however, is worth the reward.

Top 10: Sam Stevens & Zach Bauchou (+220)

Stevens has only missed one cut this year and is solidly inside the Top 40 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. His season has been highlighted by a 5th place finish in Houston and a T6 at the American Express. His play last year has gotten him into all the Signature Events and he’s getting better every week. Bauchou, on the other hand, has struggled but has still made the weekend in eight of his ten starts this year. He’s an accomplished putter who may benefit from sharing the duties with one of the better players in the field.

Top 10: Jesper Svensson & Pontus Nyholm (+350)

Svensson has cooled after his T8 at the Puerto Rico Open but he’s one of the longest hitters on TOUR who can chew up par-5s. Having an elite skill-set like Svensson is valuable in this format. Then he’s paired by Nyholm who is showing more consistency, earning three top-16 finishes in his last five starts. He’s also long off-the-tee but he’s a much more accomplished wedge player which is a dangerous combination for this week.

Top 20: Rico Hoey & David Lipsky (-104)

These two are all gas, no brakes which will be an advantage this week. Lipsky is no stranger to this event, having played it the last four years with a variety of partners. He has two fourth place finishes, a T13 and a T23. He also recently finished runner-up to Matt Fitzpatrick at the Valspar Championship. Hoey needs a spark. He was excellent in the fall but hasn’t been able to rekindle that flame. His ball-striking is pure and this format shake-up is just what the doctor ordered.

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