After a Monday finish at the RBC Heritage, we saw Scottie Scheffler win back-to-back events, and we are now getting a bit of relief. Scheffler is finally not in the field. Maybe Scheffler’s wife will give birth soon, and we can go back to cashing outright bets at high prices.
For now, we will tactfully select our opportunities to either make bold moves on the board or adopt a more conservative stance when Scheffler is in the mix, ensuring our betting strategies remain sharp and adaptable.
I’ll be honest: if I weren’t an absolute degenerate, I would not be betting on the Zurich Classic. Some great handicappers have an excellent feel for this event. I am not one of them. It’s in large part due to my golf handicapping style. I am very model and analytic-driven. Modeling here is complex, given the golfers are playing on two-person teams.
It is important to know the format the teams will be playing each day. Keep in mind that this event has a 54-hole cut.
Formats:
· Thursday: Four-Ball
· Friday: Foursomes
· Saturday: Four-Ball
· Sunday: Foursomes
Four-ball is where each golfer plays their own ball throughout the round, and the lowest score between the two teammates is used for the score. Foursomes is an alternate shot format. The two golfers will alternate who hits the shot through the round and calculate their team score.
Picks to win the 2024 Zurich Classic
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500
This is a team that, on paper, should be phenomenal. Both golfers are playing really good golf right now, and they may be the best complements to each other.
Hoge is a great iron player who is first in Strokes Gained: Approach in the field over the last 36 rounds, and McNealy is a great putter who is ranked in the top 30 in SG: Putting.
With both coming into this week in top form, the pair wouldn’t be unlikely to win.
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Nick Hardy/Adam Hadwin +3000
Runners up in this event last season, it’s almost a no-brainer to bet these two again this week. Their success should not come as a surprise. Much like the Hoge/McNealy pairing, they are great compliments to each other.
Hadwin is the longer of the two off the tee, and Hardy is the better between the two on approach. I will go as far as that both are great on approach. This makes them a bit deadlier because, should they get off schedule, they won’t be too poor.
Taylor Moore/Matthew NeSmith +6000
Team SEC is here and probably one of the most underrated squads in the tournament. Moore is playing some really good golf, and his great all-around game should set up nicely in the alternate shot format. NeSmith is a great approach player who might just need a strong all-around player as his teammate to go insane on the round.
