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First off: I got tired of explaining Foursomes vs Fourball, so I wrote an evergreen article that can just exist for no other reason than for me to link to for Ryder Cups, Presidents Cups, Zurichs, etc.

Secondly, congrats to Scottie, congrats to Nelly, and welcome to the circus, Miles. Bit of a slow week before we ramp up over the next three headed to Valhalla and the PGA Championship. Tough event to bet, but a good one to watch this week.

So, details:

160 Golfers, 80 teams. The Tour gives the spots based on its priority rankings. Players who get in get to choose their partner as long as they have some kind of PGA Tour status or receive a sponsor exemption.

Rounds 1 & 3: fourballs (best ball)

Rounds 2 & 4: foursomes (alternate shot)

Cutline: Top 33 teams plus ties

It’s still a PGA event that gives FedEx Cup points to the winners but not OWGR points. The winning team will also have a two-year Tour exemption plus get into signature events next year.

and, a look at the course from Ron’s preview article:

TPC Louisiana

Located just south of the Mississippi River in the New Orleans suburb of Avondale, TPC Louisiana is a par-72 course that stretches 7,425 yards. While the Zurich Classic has been a part of the PGA Tour’s annual rotation since 1958, TPC Louisiana became its current host in 2005. When it was a singles event up through 2016, past winners of the individual competition included Brian Stuard, Justin Rose, Billy Horschel, and Bubba Watson. In 2022, Cantlay and Schauffele set the team-play scoring record at 29-under par. Last year Riley and Hardy topped it reaching 30-under.

Opened in 2004, the course was designed by world-famous architect Pete Dye in consultation with former players Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson. Built on a 250-acre tract of drained cypress swampland, it is a flat course with a base of pumped river sand. Dye reimagined this wetland environment with trees, lakes, mounds, and strategically placed waste areas. With 106 bunkers and seven holes with water in play, there are plenty of danger areas for players to be wary of. Cypress and pine trees fill the course giving it a scenic feel.

Fairways and rough are bermudagrass while the greens are TifEagle bermuda overseeded with Poa Trivialis. Greens are smaller than average at 5,225 sq. ft. and run at an average of 12 on the stimpmeter. The rough is average length at 2″ and is non-penal.

Each of the par-5s rates as a great birdie opportunity with at least three of them easily reachable in two shots. The par-4s are on both ends of the length spectrum. Four of them measure over 475 yards while five measure less than 405 yards, including the driveable 16th hole. Each of the four par-3s measures over 200 yards and they represent three of the six toughest holes on the course.

As is typical, Dye created a “thinking man’s course” that demands precision around the water hazards and bunkers. Many holes, such as the par-4 16th present a risk/reward option. It challenges players to how much they are willing to risk to have a better scoring opportunity. It’s a very scoreable course as evidenced by last year’s record winning score, along with each of the prior four winning pairs reaching 20-under or better.

Weather 🌦️

Some small chances of weekend rain, but the real story appears to be the wind getting progressively stronger throughout the week.

Friday is alternate shot, so there will be roughly half as many balls struck, meaning they should get done earlier and maybe avoid some of the really heavy winds in the late afternoon, but it’s tough to say. I think I’d prefer to be in the PM/AM wave and avoid Friday afternoon altogether.

Betting💸

Last week was a loser, and it wasn’t that Tony Finau played poorly, it’s that Justin Thomas played so damn well. I didn’t see that coming (obviously) and the betting record takes a hit. YTD at 9-6-1, +2.36u

Unfortunately, I want no part of the matchup markets this week but I did make some outright bets:

Zurich

Sahith/Zalatoris +875
Hoge/McNealy +2931
Conners/Pendrith +3500

LIV Adelaide

Cam Smith +1099
Patty Reed +2502

Of course, as always, if you’d like to try out some modeling of your own, head over to BetspertsGolf.com and give it a look. You can use Promo Code NEWSLETTER for a 25% discount on a monthly subscription.

NFL Draft

If you’re checking out a bit on the team event, there is another major event this week to get some action down on. I’ll be putting out an NFL newsletter daily throughout the week.

News and Notes

Scottie transcending the tour:

Following young Miles was pretty fun last weekend, looks like he’ll be getting into some swing season golf as well.

I had to dig into this one a bit, but this is the new alternate field event that will be played in a couple of weeks opposite of the Wells Fargo. Hell, I think this happened today and I missed it. May have to catch up with it tomorrow.

I didn’t bet the HANDA, but I still enjoy a video of a dude throwing a dart out of a damn pond.

Finally, a couple of wild Nelly stats to think about before signing off.

As always, bet responsibly, have fun, and pick a team to cheer for.

Do me a favor and…..

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