We are through two rounds of team golf at TPC Louisiana and four teams lead the way with a score of 13 under par. We saw the scoring slow down as the conditions ramped up and the alternate-shot format started to show its teeth.
Over the weekend, we will see two more rounds of the same. Saturday, the guys will play four-ball, which will keep scores low. To close it all out, we'll see another round of alternate shot. Wind should be present and the course should firm up over the weekend, which'll lead to some fun golf.
Below, we look to find value over the weekend. Here are my Zurich Classic Round 3 picks, as well as a leaderboard update.
T1. Shane Lowry / Rory McIlroy -13 (+275)
T1. Andrew Novak / Davis Thompson -13 (+900)
T1. Aaron Rai / David Lipsky -13 (+1400)
T1. Mark Hubbard / Ryan Brehm -13 (+1800)
T5. Patrick Cantlay / Xander Schauffele -12 (+360)
T5. Corey Conners / Taylor Penrith -12 (+1400)
T5. Luke List / Henrik Norlander -12 (+2800)
T5. Callum Tarren / David Skinns -12 (+3500)
T5. Nick Taylor / Adam Hadwin -12 (+1100)
T5. Ryan Palmer / Zach Johnson -12 (+3500)
T5. Ben Kohles / Patton Kizzire -12 (+5000)
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry To Win (+275)
I was extremely high on these two heading into the week. For being one of the top teams on the odds board, they went under the radar. I mentioned that even if they were partying when they arrived in New Orleans, they would still play well enough to make the cut. Now that they are through the cut and near the top of the leaderboard, it's gametime.
McIlroy and Lowry went extremely low in the foursomes format and also played well in the alternate shot. They had a great game plan for tee balls on Friday as they took advantage of McIlroy's driver and Lowry's irons — which was clearly the right way to go about it. Look for them to up their focus and get the job done over the weekend. At the end of the day, McIlroy simply needs to see something go through the hoop and a win at the Zurich Classic could really jumpstart things for him.
Alex Fitzpatrick and Matt Fitzpatrick Top 5 (+550)
The Fitzpatrick brothers played an extremely balanced two rounds of golf. Six under on day one and four under in round two is very on par with what Nick Hardy and Davis Riley did last year.
Their Friday round (68) was extremely impressive. The brothers made seven birdies in alternate shot, which is other worldly good. However, that was offset with a four-putt double and another bogey on the card. If they can clean things up over the weekend, look for them to be a part of the picture. They are clearly comfortable with one another's game and are going to give it their all to get Alex the recognition he's looking for.
Austin Eckroat and Chris Gotterup Top 10 (+900)
When the conditions get windy, these two can rise to the top. The Oklahoma State Cowboy and Oklahoma Sooner are used to playing in very windy conditions at their home courses and we're going to see the wind ramp up this weekend. They have varying styles of play that can lead to a ton of birdies in these conditions. Eckroat will be extremely precise off the tee and into greens, while Gotterup will look to bomb his way around to find easy birdies. Both will work, and they don't have to do much to get inside this number with the cut
