Zurich Classic of New Orleans > April 23rd - 26th

[Aidymac]

• COURSE: TPC Louisiana, 7,425 yards, par 72. Winding through some 250 acres of Louisiana wetlands just west of New Orleans, the 2004 Pete Dye design (with Steve Elkington consulting) often ranks among the PGA TOUR’s 10 easiest among those used all four days. The layout incorporates stately stands of cypress and oak trees, with Dye adding more than 100 bunkers and five ponds to boost the challenge. The course also utilizes several large waste bunkers along the first six holes of the back nine. The Zurich Classic relocated there in 2005, though flooding a year later forced a one-time return to English Turn G&CC. • FIELD WATCH: Reigning FedExCup champion Billy Horschel, whose first PGA TOUR victory came two years ago at Zurich, is slated to be joined by four others among the top 20 in the current world rankings. No. 5 Jason Day and No. 6 Dustin Johnson are highest on the list. … Steve Stricker will make just his second start of 2015, coming off a tie for 28th at the Masters on the rebound from back surgery. … Louisiana native David Toms, whose 2001 win over Phil Mickelson foreshadowed a PGA Championship reprise, is set to tee it up for the 22nd time in the event. • LAST YEAR: Seung-Yul Noh went wire-to-wire for his first PGA TOUR win, enduring gusty winds and some early pressure from Keegan Bradley for a 1-under-par 71 that closed out a two-shot triumph. Noh went bogey-free until the final round, when an opening bogey helped Bradley to briefly pull even. Bradley, though, soon fell off the pace with a bogey at No.5 and a triple-bogey one hole later. Andy Svoboda (69) and Robert Streb (70) tied for second, while Bradley fell back into a tie for eighth. Noh’s victory was welcomed back home in South Korea, where the nation had been mourning some 300 passengers missing or dead in a horrific ferry accident two weeks earlier. • STORYLINES: First-time winners have ruled the event for the past decade, with seven of the past 10 making it their breakthrough victory. That list includes Horschel (2013), Jason Dufner (2012) and Nick Watney (2007). … Noh attempts to become the sixth back-to-back winner in New Orleans, a feat last accomplished by Carlos Franco in 1999 and 2000. Matt Every was the last to claim his first two PGA TOUR wins in the same event, repeating as Arnold Palmer Invitational champion last month. … Former LSU golfer Curtis Thompson, now on the Web.com Tour, finds his first PGA TOUR start to be part of a brotherly act. Older sibling Nicholas, a six-year TOUR veteran, also will tee it up at TPC Louisiana. • SHORT CHIPS: New Orleans stands as the last chance for players to earn a berth in THE PLAYERS Championship by moving into the top 10 in the FedExCup points chase or top 50 of the world rankings. A spot also is open to the winner of next week’s WGC Cadillac Match Play Championship, if not already in. … Noh’s victory was just the third time in the past dozen Classics that the winning margin was more than one stroke. Four of those went to playoffs, including back-to-back editions in 2011 (won by Bubba Watson) and 2012 (Dufner).

[Crouch Potato]

Re: Zurich Classic of New Orleans > April 23rd - 26th ?GL All Justin Thomas @ 50 Betfair For me there's no hotter rookie on tour than Thomas. Maiden winners are common here and for mine Thomas is the most obvious candidate to continue this trend, just as Dufner and Horschel were when they won. He has already notched 4 Top 10's this season and an 11th last time out shows the form is still there. He hits it a long way which can also be quite useful here and for me is overpriced. Lucas Glover @ 151 E/W 1/4 1-5 365 Glover for mine is returning to form and it's only a matter of time before it translates into a result. He ranks in the Top 5 in both GIR and Proximity to the hole, which inevitably means his putting is woeful, where he is ranked 207th. Still, a hot week with the putter can come from nowhere and Glover has 4 Top 10's around this course, which suggests to me he has a fairly decent read of the greens around here. Scott Stallings @ 301 E/W 1/4 1-5 365 There's no logical reason to back Stallings here. He's missed his last 4 cuts this season and all 4 cuts when he's played here. Still, my gut tells me Stallings is big value here, and I never ignore my gut when it comes to Stallings.