Zurich Classic expert picks and predictions with our PGA Pro’s best bets for the tournament

In this betting preview:

• Expert picks and predictions
• DraftKings odds to win
• Betting preview
• TPC Louisiana course overview

Avid readers of Read The Line know some Sundays are better than others. We have backed Justin Thomas three times this season (API, PLAYERS, Masters) only to watch him win Sunday in Hilton Head. If that wasn't hard enough to digest, our +4000 LPGA outright Akie Iwai bogeyed the seventy-second hole in Los Angeles to lose. Most might need a moment to dust themselves off and stand back up. We don't have a moment and the dust displays character. While the LPGA hosts their first major championship of the season in Houston, Texas, the PGA TOUR visits the bayou for a very unique event, The Zurich Classic.

Eighty teams are entered in the largest field of the season. Just seven of the top 25 in the OWGR are on hand to compete for $8 million. The top 33 teams and ties can compete over the weekend. After two straight small field events, the guys have their "cutline" hands full. Less than 40% of the teams will make the weekend. The Zurich is the toughest 36-hole cut on TOUR. Considering the team format and venue, we will see a lot of volatility at TPC Louisiana.

This preview is just that: a preview. For a complete list of my betting predictions covering the Zurich Classic, placements, and H2H matchups, please go to Read The Line and subscribe.

Zurich Classic 2025 expert picks and predictions

Best bet to win: JT Poston/Keith Mitchell (+2000 on bet365)

These two guys can score early and often. Keith Mitchell has been incredible in opening rounds this season and can’t quite close on Sunday afternoons. JT Poston knows how to pace himself for four rounds and will keep Keith calm in the final round. After all, in alternate shot, Mitchell won’t have to make every putt down the stretch.  Keith’s killer ball striking alongside Poston’s ability to deliver with the putter make these two a perfect scoring combination. 

Best bet to place in the top Top 20: Adam Hadwin/Nick Taylor (+140 on Draftkings)

Hadwin and Taylor have proven they can contend in this event. In their last four starts at the Zurich Classic, they have four top 10 results with a runner-up in 2023. Their player combination of putting (Hadwin) and ball striking (Taylor) definitely gets the job done. 

Best head-to-head bet: Tom Hoge/Billy Horschel over Taylor Moore/Wyndham Clark (-110 on bet365)

Both Moore and Clark have been good in this event. Although I like Clark’s form, Moore has not played well since Phoenix in February. Not to mention, this is his first start in five weeks on TOUR. Tom Hoge is coming off four straight top 20s including The Masters and RBC Heritage. Billy Horschel has been equally good in 2025 and super at the Zurich winning in 2018 and earning three more top 11s in the last four years. 

Zurich Classic 2025 betting odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings. Showing odds shorter than +10000.

Zurich Classic 2025: Betting preview

A large part of successfully betting the Zurich Classic is understanding the format. This is not a regular 72-hole stroke play event. Eighty teams of two will compete in a Fourball (better ball of partners) format on Thursday in round one. On Friday, the teams switch to Foursomes (alternate shot). Those who make the cut and compete over the weekend for the first-place prize of $1.33 million dollars (each) will play the same two formats again. Saturday is Fourball, and Sunday is Foursomes. These are the same two team formats you will see at the Ryder Cup in September.

The team format began at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2017. Since then, the average winning score is 26 under par. With two separate formats, it is important to note how the winners got there. The last six winners average 19 under par in the Fourball format and seven under par in Foursomes. Find the right alternate shot combination and you can make some serious cash. It's tough for a longshot to win in individual stroke play. Give everyone a partner, and the elite tend to take the title. The average winner’s pre-tournament odds of the seven champion teams is +3100. Four of the last five winners have held pre-tournament odds under +1600!

We started out with some wet weather this week in Avondale, Louisiana. Just under a half an inch of rain fell across Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Enough to soften the surfaces and allow for even better scoring. The temperature will climb into the high 80s each day and there's less than a 10% chance the rain continues throughout the tournament. Last year, the wind was wild down in the bayou. We expect the sustained breeze to just barely touch double digits all four days. The wind will be out of the south, southeast and blow 8-10 mph. That's great news since TPC Louisiana has 106 bunkers and eight holes where water comes into play.

TPC Louisiana has been the host venue dating back to 2005. Every team edition has been played here. The par 72 layout covers 7,425 yards. For the second week in a row, we have Pete Dye's diabolical mind to contend with. The most noticeable feature of this flat setting are the bunkers. In stark contrast to one another, you will see some of the largest and smallest sand hazards on TOUR. The greens are the fifth smallest on the PGA TOUR at an average of 5,225 sq/ft. Of course, these will look huge compared to the tiny targets at Harbour Town. Poa trivialis covers these putting surfaces, and they are super smooth according to my sources on-site.

There's a fair amount of drama in this design. We have four par 4s over 470 yards and the average par 3 is 215 yards! The final three holes have water in play to catch your attention. Looking to score, how about the four par 4s under 400 yards and four par 5s. Good luck finishing any round on time in foursomes and with 160 players in the field. Even though it is a tough test, team scoring pushes that cutline pretty deep. The average score to get inside the top 33 and ties is 7.4 under par. Combine the weather, turf conditions, and the baseline ability of 50% of this field to go low with a partner and Las Vegas has the final score over/under at -26.5.

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Zurich Classic 2025: TPC Louisiana course overview

I can narrow down the field to the best birdie makers and ball strikers, but in the end the biggest intangible is team chemistry on the course. We have witnessed it each year starting with the first title when Jonas Blixt and Cam Smith won. The +10000 long shots blended their skill set perfectly to take home the trophy. Consider the defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. Two very good friends who also bring the best out of each other on the golf course. Think about the partner events you have played in personally. What complements your game? Those pairings hold the biggest advantage in this field.

I see these guys interact with one another all around various venues. After four years, I can really start to tell who gets along with whom. The better your team chemistry, the better your chances are to perform. This is exactly why Tiger Woods never had a good Ryder Cup partner. How hard would it be to pair with Woods and live with the fear of letting him down. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry aren't worried about that. Our outrights will lead the field in strokes gained camaraderie. A couple of these pairings are new and I will lean on my experience at The Masters, THE PLAYERS, four signature events, and a couple more regular TOUR events in 2025 to decide who has the best "fit."

Our outrights will also be birdie machines. The best Fourball players are aggressive scorers. That's not always the best type of player for individual stroke-play events, but in this format, give me two guys who average more than four birdies per round. I want guys who lead the TOUR in opportunities gained and GIRs. Who tends to go for the par 5s in two and who can putt. Look at some of the recent winners. Cam Smith has won this event twice, Billy Horschel who can putt plays well here, and how about the Canadians, Hadwin and Taylor.

We have four par 5s and four par 4s under 400 yards. Those eight holes require solid scrambling to score. Short game skill will lead to birdies in bunches. Guys who build their weekly birdie average by pitching the ball and using their wedges adeptly. A little acumen from close range and you can make more sub-par scores than a majority of the field. With four par 4s under 400 yards these guys will be greenside for eight super scoring chances. Pair some serious pitching and chipping with a consistent ability to make putts inside 10 feet. That leads me to my secret for really running up that leaderboard.

The winning teams average seven under par for 36-holes of Foursomes or alternate shot. Place the best iron player on the odd holes and your elite driver on the even ones. The last three winners have been better than eight under par for those two tournament rounds. If you want to win, you need a team that can work together and score in this format. Teams used to target even par as a good score for alternate shot and now these guys are shooting sub-70. The best path to making the cut is going low on Friday when you only get to hit every other shot. The traits needed to play well when you have to watch half the time really count. The guy who has to knock in that testy five-footer did not hit the approach putt or chip prior to his turn. Without any consistent feel, you must make your short putts. We see it year after year.

Finding the correct chemistry in Creole country is hard. We have a successful plan to build out a winning card. Combine our on-site and LPGA experience and I would not be surprised if the golf gods give us something special on Sunday.

Read The Line is the leading golf betting insights service led by 5-time award-winning PGA Professional Keith Stewart. Read The Line has 39 outright wins and covers the TGL, LPGA, and PGA TOUR, raising your golf betting acumen week after week. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter and follow us on social media: TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.