Zurich Classic Format: How The Team Aspect Works

The PGA Tour heads to New Orleans this week for the Zurich Classic. This event is the only team tournament on the current schedule, with PGA Tour stars combining to compete for the title. Here is how the format works.

Thursday's first round will begin with a four-ball better-ball format. This means that both players in the pair will play their own ball for every shot. At the end of each hole, whoever makes the lowest score out of the duo, their score is counted towards the team total in relation to par.

For example, if player A made a birdie three on a par 4, but player B made a par, player A's score would count, and the team would be one-under. If both players in the team make the same score on a hole, then the score reflects whatever they both made.

For Friday's second round, the format switches to foursomes. This is an alternate-shot format in which the team takes turns playing each shot. If player A hits the tee shot, player B will hit the second shot, then player A will take the third shot and so on.

This is a more difficult format than fourball, as there is only one ball in play for each pair, so they only have one chance to make par or better, as opposed to two chances in fourball.

Each team decides before the round on who will tee off on which hole, because this also occurs in an alternating sequence. Player A would tee off on all the odd holes, and Player B may hit the tee shots on all the even holes.

The weekend format recycles, so Saturday's third round is fourball, before foursomes again for Sunday's final round.

The Strategy Behind Pairs Formats

The Zurich Classic is played at TPC Louisiana, with 2026 marking the ninth year that this tournament has been played in pairs.

Three of the four par 3s on this course are on odd-numbered holes, the third, ninth and 17th.

One member of the team may be a significantly better par 3 or iron player than the other, so they are more likely to tee off on the odd holes in foursomes.

TPC Louisiana boasts sturdy one-shotters, as they all typically play over 200 yards, so a strong mid-to-long iron player is required to give a pair a good chance at making par or birdie.

The four par 5s at the Zurich Classic are split evenly between odd and even holes, so it is harder for a pair to forge a strategy for these holes, even if one player is statistically better on par 5s. This could be scoring average, go for it rate or simply greens and fairways in regulation.

TPC Louisiana demands length off the tee, as it stretches out to 7,425 yards for the tournament. But precision is also paramount, making the team element of this competition fascinating.

Broadly, the majority of PGA Tour veterans are excellent all-round players, so strategy may potentially have less of an impact.

However, there is undeniably a schematic element to playing foursomes, in terms of who is hitting each shot. But this applies to fourball as well, where one player may opt for a more aggressive approach, in pursuit of birdies, while the other teammate could play conservatively to secure pars.

Low scoring is typical at the Zurich Classic, with the winning total between 20 and 30 under par. Last year, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak were victorious, amassing a 28-under-par winning total to win by one shot over the Hojgaard twins.

Novak and Griffin were a combined 21-under in fourball and just seven-under in foursomes, but held on for the title.

Last week's RBC Heritage champion, Matt Fitzpatrick, is teaming up with his brother Alex, who won the Hero Indian Open in his last start.

This will be the fourth time the Fitzpatrick brothers are playing in the Zurich Classic, with their best finish a T11 in 2024. A win would earn Alex a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

There is a cut at this event, with the top 33 teams making it through to the weekend.

Other notable matchups include youngsters Luke Clanton and Blades Brown, Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge, as well as Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry.

Only two of the world's top 30 players are in the field this week, which is plausibly an indictment of the current PGA Tour schedule, with this event sandwiched in between the Masters and the PGA Championship, alongside multiple Signature Events.

A contrasting composition to individual stroke play is always refreshing, and since the WGC-Match Play event in Austin left the schedule in 2024, the Zurich is the only time we get to experience a different format.

Zurich Classic format

• Day one: Fourballs
• Day two: Foursomes
• Day three: Fourballs
• Day four: Foursomes