Blake Davis
Scottie Scheffler has won four of his last five starts – with a runner-up finish in the other – but no one need worry about him finishing at the top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Zurich Classic in New Orleans. That’s because the world No. 1 isn’t part of the field, which consists of 80 pairs of teams, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for Zurich Classic fantasy picks. The event begins Thursday at TPC Louisiana and utilizes alternating best ball and foursome formats, with Zurich Classic fantasy lineups consisting of two-man teams rather than individual golfers.
It is the only PGA Tour event that uses the team stroke play format, which saw Nick Hardy and Davis Riley shoot a tournament record 30-under par in their victory last year. This duo is at +8000 in the latest Zurich Classic 2024 odds, making them an intriguing team to enter into a fantasy golf strategy. The teams at the top of the odds board are Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele (+500), Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (+800), and Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala (+1100). Before making any Zurich Classic 2024 fantasy golf picks, you should see Zurich Classic Fantasy Golf rankings from SportsLine handicapper Eric Cohen.
Cohen is an avid golf bettor who has correctly predicted the outright pre-tournament winner of the 2024 Masters (Scottie Scheffler, +350), Players Championship (Scheffler +550), 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic (Rickie Fowler +1400), 2023 PGA Championship (Brooks Koepka +2000), 2023 Honda Classic (Chris Kirk +3500), 2022 Open Championship (Cameron Smith +2200), 2022 US Open (Matt Fitzpatrick +2500) and 2022 Phoenix Open (Scheffler’s first career victory in +2800).
Cohen contributes to SportsLine’s YouTube shows, including “Early Edge,” and is the host of the golf show “The Early Wedge.” Anyone who has followed Cohen’s predictions has seen positive gains in their golf choices.
Now, Cohen has ranked his top golfers for the 2024 Zurich Classic. Cohen’s picks are only available on SportsLine.
Zurich Classic 2024 Expert Picks
We can say he is backing the duo of Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith at +3500. The styles of these two complement each other as well as you’ll find on any team, as Conners is an elite forward who ranks in the top 15 in strokes gained: tee-to-green, greens in regulation percentage, and strokes gained: approaching of green. Meanwhile, Pendrith’s strengths are his first throw and his last throw. He ranks ninth on tour in driving distance and is 22nd in strokes gained: putting.
The two lowest scores in the history of this tournament have occurred in the last two years, so repeatedly breaking par is essential. This pair cumulatively ranks in the top 10 in birdies or better gained, with Conners ranked in the top 20 on the entire PGA Tour in total birdies and total eagles. Add to that that Pendrith finished 13th in this tournament last year while playing with a golfer currently ranked 792nd in the world, and the sky is the limit with him now teaming up with the number 51 ranked golfer in the world.
On the other hand, Cohen is eliminating the oddsmakers’ second pick, McIlroy and Lowry at +800. This will be McIlroy’s first match at TPC Louisiana, while Lowry has played four times previously. He has just one top 25 in that span – which includes when it was an individual event and a team event – and missed two of four cuts. This year, Lowry has twice as many finishes outside the top 40 (four) as inside the top 10 (two).
That’s still double McIlroy’s top 10s in 2024, as the Irishman hasn’t found the form he had at the end of last season when he finished with 10 consecutive top 10s. McIlroy’s scoring average of 70.29 ranks just 87th in the tournament as his short game struggles. It ranks outside the top 100 in strokes gained: around the green, and as is the case with most Pete Dye-designed courses, TPC Louisiana places an emphasis on the short game. Lowry can’t help his partner much in this regard as he is also outside the top 100 on the green, so this pairing should be avoided considering their short odds. See all of Cohen’s Zurich Classic picks at SportsLine.
How to Set Zurich Classic Fantasy Golf Lineups for 2024
For this week, Cohen is backing several underdogs in his 2024 Zurich Classic fantasy golf picks, including a triple-digit long shot team that could “potentially be a smart play in placement bets” and could help spice up his fantasy golf lineups. See who it is and get all of Cohen’s fantasy golf picks at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2024 Zurich Classic and who are the best teams to pick for your PGA fantasy golf picks? Visit SportsLine now for Eric Cohen’s fantasy golf rankingsall from the fantasy expert who has called seven outright winners since 2022, and find out.
