Honestly, most golf tournaments feel a little like a business meeting with better scenery. You’ve got the hush of the crowd, the polite clapping, and seventy-something guys grinding out individual scores in a vacuum. But then you get to the PGA Tour New Orleans stop—officially the Zurich Classic—and everything gets weird in the best way possible.
It is the only team event on the regular schedule. Think about that. In a sport built on the "lone wolf" mentality, these guys have to actually talk to each other. They have to apologize when they chunk a wedge into a lagoon.
Located at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, just a quick hop across the river from the French Quarter, this event is basically a four-day party where golf happens to be the centerpiece. If you're used to the stuffy atmosphere of a major, the vibe here is going to feel like a shock. You've got jazz bands on the 19th hole and the smell of crawfish étouffée drifting over the fairways. It's awesome.
The Wild Format Change That Saved This Event
For decades, the New Orleans stop was just another individual stroke-play event. It was fine, but it struggled to attract the biggest names. Then, in 2017, the PGA Tour got brave. They turned it into a two-man team competition, and suddenly, the phone wouldn't stop ringing.
How it actually works
The format is a mix of two different styles of play. It’s not just "go play golf with your buddy." It's strategic and, at times, incredibly stressful for the players.
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- Four-Ball (Best Ball): This happens on Thursday and Saturday. Both players play their own ball. The team just takes the best score on each hole. If I make a 6 but you make a 3, we card a 3. This is where the scores get crazy. You’ll see teams shooting 10-under or 12-under in a single day.
- Foursomes (Alternate Shot): This is the "friendship ender." It happens Friday and Sunday. One ball. You hit, then your partner hits. If you put your partner in a buried bunker, they have to deal with it. This is significantly harder. Scores of 2-under are actually quite good in this format.
The 2025 tournament was a perfect example of why this works. Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin ended up winning their first career titles by staying incredibly steady in those high-pressure alternate-shot rounds. They finished at 28-under par, barely edging out the Højgaard twins from Denmark.
TPC Louisiana: A Pete Dye Swamp Masterpiece
You can't talk about the PGA Tour New Orleans without talking about the course. TPC Louisiana was designed by the legendary Pete Dye, and he didn't hold back. He took 250 acres of wetlands and turned it into a graveyard for golf balls.
The course is flat—it’s New Orleans, after all—but it’s full of "pot bunkers" and massive waste areas. There are over 100 bunkers on the property. If you aren't accurate, you're going to be spending a lot of time playing in the sand.
The 18th hole is a par-5 that ruins lives. Water runs along the entire right side. In a team format, this hole is pure theater. Do you go for the green in two to win the tournament, or do you lay up because you don't want to let your partner down? Usually, at least one person gets wet.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Field
People think because it's a team event, the "big guys" skip it. That’s just not true anymore. Because it’s a break from the grind, superstars actually look forward to it.
Look at the 2024 winners: Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy. They are two of the biggest names in the sport, and they showed up specifically because they wanted to play together. Seeing Rory—who is usually under a microscope—laughing and high-fiving his best friend on the 16th green is something you just don't see at the U.S. Open.
"It’s the one week of the year where we don’t feel like we’re on an island," one anonymous caddie told me near the practice range last year. "The stress is still there, but it's shared. That changes the chemistry of the whole locker room."
The 2026 Outlook: What to Expect
If you're planning to follow the PGA Tour New Orleans in 2026, mark your calendars for April 23–26. Novak and Griffin will be back to defend their title, but the competition is getting stiffer.
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The prize purse has climbed to $9.5 million. That's a lot of gumbo money. Each winner gets 400 FedEx Cup points, which is huge for qualifying for the playoffs. However, there's a weird quirk: because it's a team event, the winners do not get an automatic invite to the Masters. They get almost everything else—a two-year exemption on Tour, a spot in the PGA Championship—but Augusta National still insists on individual wins for their criteria.
Why the 2026 dates matter
- April 23 (Thursday): Round 1, Best Ball. Expect low scores.
- April 24 (Friday): Round 2, Alternate Shot. This is where the "cut" happens. Only the top 33 teams (plus ties) move on.
- April 25 (Saturday): Round 3, Best Ball. Moving day.
- April 26 (Sunday): Final Round, Alternate Shot. Pure drama.
The "New Orleans" Factor
Let’s be real: Part of why this tournament ranks so high for fans is the food. Most Tour stops have generic catering. Here, the "Best of the Zurich Classic" pass gets you food from places like Acme Oyster House and Drago’s.
You’re watching world-class golf while eating charbroiled oysters. It’s a lifestyle, not just a sporting event. The tournament generates over $40 million for the local economy every year, and since 2005, they’ve raised more than $30 million for local kids' charities through the Fore! Kids Foundation. It’s a rare win-win for the city and the Tour.
Actionable Tips for Following the Tournament
If you're actually going to watch or attend the PGA Tour New Orleans next time around, don't just show up blindly.
- Watch the Friday Cut: Everyone watches Sunday, but Friday is more interesting. Watching players crumble under the pressure of "Alternate Shot" while trying to make the cut is fascinating. It's the most "human" these pros ever look.
- Track the "Birdie-Binge" Teams: On Best Ball days (Thursday/Saturday), look for teams with two aggressive putters. This course doesn't punish distance, so the guys who can "bomb and gouge" will lap the field during these rounds.
- Check the Weather: April in Louisiana is unpredictable. Humidity makes the ball fly differently, and afternoon thunderstorms can flip the leaderboard in twenty minutes.
- Focus on the Par-3s: All four par-3s at TPC Louisiana are over 200 yards. They are brutal. Teams that play these holes at even par for the week usually finish in the top ten.
The PGA Tour New Orleans isn't the most prestigious event on the calendar, and it doesn't have the history of the Open Championship. But it has soul. It reminds us that even at the highest level of professional sports, it's okay to have a partner and, occasionally, a bowl of jambalaya between holes.
Your Next Steps
To get the most out of the next tournament, start by looking at the current FedEx Cup standings to see which "bubble" players are likely to pair up to hunt for points. You should also check the official Zurich Classic website for 2026 ticket releases, as the hospitality tents—especially the ones with the local food vendors—tend to sell out months in advance.