SportsLine's model simulated the Zurich Classic of New Orleans 2026 10,000 times and revealed its surprising early picks
By Daniel Lewis Apr 21, 2026 at 8:05 am ET • 4 min read 
Imagn Images The PGA's only official team event is set for this week as the 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans tees off on Thursday at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La. It has a $9.5 million purse and awards 400 FedEx Cup points to each player in the winning duo. Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin won it last year. Formerly a solo event, the format changed to partners in 2017, and it alternates best ball and alternate shot each round.
The 2026 Zurich Classic odds via FanDuel Sportsbook list the defending champions at +2000, which puts them fourth on the PGA odds board behind co-favorites Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry and brothers Alex and Matthew Fitzpatrick, both at +1200, as well as Michael Thorbjornsen and Karl Vilips (+1800). Before locking in any 2026 Zurich Classic picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals golf betting picks that have a history of being extremely profitable.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 17 majors entering the weekend, including the 2026 Masters -- its fifth Masters in a row -- as well as last year's PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting sites.
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Now that the 2026 Zurich Classic field is set, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, which you can use for PGA picks, one and done contests or PGA DFS lineups.
2026 Zurich Classic predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the PGA Championship 2026: It is not projecting the Fitzpatrick brothers to win despite their status as the co-favorites. Matt Fitzpatrick enters this tournament in strong form after winning the RBC Heritage last week and the Valspar Championship in March. He also finished second at the Players Championship and T18 at the Masters this year. His brother, Alex, however, is in this field via a sponsor's exemption, and has a far less impressive resume. With the alternate-shot format in place for two rounds, the model projects that this team isn't the best value to win at +1200. See who else to fade here.
Another surprise: The model projects a strong showing for the team of Aaron Rai and Sahith Theegala. This will be their third straight Zurich Classic playing together, so that experience should pay off. Both have extensive PGA experience, and Theegala, especially, is playing well on tour this season with four top-10 finishes. Despite getting +2200 odds, the model projects them to be top-3 contenders, making them a strong value for Zurich Classic best bets. See who else to pick here.
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How to make 2026 Zurich Classic picks
The model is also targeting several other longshots, including one team going off at 30-1 who makes a stunning run for the title. You can only see the model's picks here.
Who will win the 2026 Zurich Classic, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2026 Zurich Classic odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 17 golf majors, including three in 2025.
2026 Zurich Classic odds, favorites
Get full 2026 Zurich Classic picks, best bets and predictions here. (odds via FanDuel and subject to change)
Brooks Koepka & Shane Lowry +1200 Matt Fitzpatrick & Alex Fitzpatrick +1200 Michael Thorbjornsen & Karl Vilips +1800 Andrew Novak & Ben Griffin +2000 Matt McCarty & Mac Meissner +2200 Aaron Rai & Sahith Theegala +2200 Taylor Moore & Wyndham Clark +2200 Marco Penge & Matt Wallace +2200 Haotong Li & Jordan Smith +2200 Johnny Keefer & Michael Brennan +2200 Zach Bauchou & Samuel Stevens +2500 Kris Ventura & Kristoffer Reitan +3000 Mackenzie Hughes & Taylor Pendrith +3000 Hayden Springer & Alex Smalley +3000 Davis Thompson & Austin Eckroat +3000 Kevin Yu & Tom Kim +3500 Kevin Roy & Max McGreevy +3500 Richard Hoey & David Lipsky +3500 Tony Finau & Max Greyserman +3500 Austin Smotherman & Andrew Putnam +4000 John Parry & Dan Brown +4000 Blades Brown & Luke Clanton +4500 Jacob Skov Olesen & Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +4500 Brandt Snedeker & Keith Mitchell +4500 Jackson Suber & Stephan Jaeger +4500 Matti Schmid & Seamus Power +4500 Vince Whaley & Greyson Sigg +5500 A.J. Ewart & Casey Jarvis +5500 Zecheng Dou & Dylan Wu +5500 William Mouw & Takumi Kanaya +5500 Hank Lebioda & Eric Cole +5500 Jesper Svensson & Pontus Nyholm +5500 Erik van Rooyen & Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5500 Beau Hossler & Sam Ryder +5500 Doug Ghim & Jeffrey Kang +6500 Adrien Dumont de Chassart & Davis Chatfield +6500 Billy Horschel & Tom Hoge +6500 Martin Couvra & Matthieu Pavon +6500 Patton Kizzire & Chris Kirk +6500 John VanDerLaan & Chandler Blanchet +7000 Carson Young & Chandler Phillips +7000 Trey Mullinax & David Skinns +7000 Matt Kuchar & Garrick Higgo +8000 Lanto Griffin & Ben Kohles +8000 Kevin Streelman & Joel Dahmen +8000 Lee Hodges & Brice Garnett +8000 Adam Svensson & Adam Hadwin +8000 Patrick Fishburn & Zac Blair +8000 Neal Shipley & Christo Lamprecht +8000 Cameron Champ & Ben Silverman +8000 Ryan Brehm & Mark Hubbard +10000 Ben Martin & Trace Crowe +10000 Adam Schenk & Tyler Duncan +10000 Jimmy Stanger & Danny Walker +10000 Keita Nakajima & Kensei Hirata +10000 Davis Riley & Nick Hardy +10000 Jeremy Paul & Harry Higgs +10000 Taylor Montgomery & Scott Piercy +10000 Frankie Capan III & Noah Goodwin +15000 Alejandro Tosti & Rafael Campos +15000 Paul Peterson & Will Gordon +15000 Nick Dunlap & Gordon Sargent +15000 Luke List & Henrik Norlander +15000 Chan Kim & Ryan Palmer +17500 Russell Knox & Peter Malnati +22500 Cam Davis & Geoff Ogilvy +22500 Nick Watney & Charley Hoffman +22500 Camilo Villegas & Marcelo Rozo +22500 Chez Reavie & Jonathan Byrd +25000 Robert Streb & Troy Merritt +25000 Kyle Stanley & James Hahn +50000 Jason Dufner & Austin Cook +50000
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