It’s going to be a team event this week in the PGA TOUR, with the staging of the 2021 Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana. We were not able to witness this event last year because of the pandemic, but here we are, about to see Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer try to defend the title they won in 2019.
Rahm and Palmer won the last staging of the Zurich Classic in 2019 but were not able to defend it in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Rahm and Palmer won by three strokes, edging the runner-up tandem of Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia. Rahm is in great form, having gone back-to-back T5s at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and at the Masters. Palmer, meanwhile, has three top 10s in 13 starts this season.
Schaffele has come close to winning an event this season multiple times. In fact, he has three runner-up finishes this season, with back-to-back T2s at the Farmers Insurance Open and at the Waste Management Phoenix Open plus a solo second at THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK. And just recently, he had a T3 at the Masters. You know that Schaffele is always going to be a player to watch on any event this season. Cantlay isn’t making as much noise as Schaffele. He’s even been cut three times in his last four starts. But here’s the thinking with Cantlay: he is 2 of 3 in the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana. Also, despite his missed cuts, he has managed to finish inside the top 10 four times in 13 starts this season.
After getting cut two times in a row to start the season, Morikawa has found his groove. He has made the cut in all of his past 11 starts. And over that span, Morikawa has been inside the top 10 four times, including a win in the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession. As for his more recent form, he seems ready for the upcoming event at TPC Louisiana, as he just placed T7 in the RBC Heritage. Wolff got disqualified in the 2021 Masters, which was unfortunate. Nevertheless, he has made the cut nine times in 12 starts this season with a pair of runner-ups.
After winning the Puerto Rico Open, Grace has gone 3 of 4, including a T23 at the Valero Open and a T42 at the RBC Heritage. Varner, on the other hand, has some momentum going for him, as he just finished with a T2 at the RBC Heritage.
Homa was cut in the Masters, his second in his last three starts. He’s got a win this season already though, having topped the Genesis Invitational. It’s been a while since Gooch last teed off, which was at the Honda Classic last month, where he finished 46th overall. However, he has three top 10s in 16 starts this season.
Gibson has been cut eight times in 13 starts this season and he’s only got a single top 25 overall. Taylor is 5 of 10 this season. In 2016, their only appearances at TPC Louisiana, Gibson and Taylor went 80th and 48th, respectively.
Writer’s Prediction
Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff wins the 2021 Zurich Classic.
