Ex-Ryder Cup captains Furyk, Love III form teams for 2019 Zurich Classic

Two-time Ryder Cup captain Davis will pair with his son Dru, while Furyk will team again with David Duval, once ranked #1 in the world

NEW ORLEANS – Two former U.S. Ryder Cup captains, both winners of major championships, have entered teams to play in the 2019 Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

Last year’s Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk will team with David Duval, who was ranked #1 in the world at the peak of his career. Davis Love III, who captained the U.S. Ryder Cup team to its last victory in 2016, will partner with his son Dru.

Davis is a two-time Ryder Cup captain and a former winner of our tournament,” said Worthy. “We welcome him and his son Dru, the first father-son pairing we’ve seen in the Zurich Classic,” added Worthy.

“And once again, we are honored to have Jim Furyk and David Duval join our field this year,” Worthy said. “Both guys have deep team golf experience, and they will be a very popular team again with our fans,” said Worthy.

Furyk is enjoying something of a late-career renaissance this year. He posted two top-10 finishes earlier in the season before nearly winning The Players Championship in March in a quest to become the oldest winner of that tournament at 48 years old. He began the final round five shots behind and ran off five birdies and an eagle to go into the clubhouse as the leader at 15-under before falling short of victory by a single stroke. His second place marked his 31stcareer runner-up finish on the PGA TOUR.

He has won 17 times on the PGA TOUR, including the 2003 U.S. Open and the 2010 TOUR Championship. He currently ranks fourth in all-time earnings, with more than $70 million since he joined the TOUR in 1994.

He and Duval have played as a team before, when they won the Fred Meyer Challenge in 1998. They missed the cut by one stroke in last year’s Zurich Classic.

Furyk has been a mainstay for years on American national teams, with seven appearances in the Presidents Cup and nine in the Ryder Cup. Among American players, his nine Ryder Cup competitions are second all-time, and his 34 matches are tied for third all-time.

Hall of Famer Davis Love III won the tournament here in 1995 when it was the Freeport-McMoRan Classic. The win in New Orleans qualified him into the Masters that year, and he went on to finish second by one stroke to Ben Crenshaw.

Love has 21 PGA TOUR victories in his career. He has 12 other victories in unofficial tournaments, including four World Cup wins playing with Fred Couples and four other team titles. His latest team win was in the 2012 PNC Father/Son Challenge playing with his son Dru.

He won the PGA Championship in 1997 but has come close to winning many more major titles. He posted six top-tens in both The Open Championship and the Masters, with five top-tens in the U.S. Open and three in the PGA Championship after his 1997 title.

He played on six Ryder Cup teams and captained the U.S team in 2012 and 2016, the last time the U.S. won the competition. The 2016 score of 17-11 over Europe was the widest winning margin for the U.S. in 35 years.

Love’s team career also includes six Presidents Cups, five World Cups, one Walker Cup and one Dunhill Cup.

Davis Love IV, known as Dru, made his professional debut at the U.S. Open with his dad on his bag. He was a member of the University of Alabama team for four years before turning pro. He has since played in 16 PGA TOUR events, making the cut three times.

Furyk’s partner Duval, now primarily a broadcaster on the Golf Channel, claimed 13 PGA TOUR victories, including The Open Championship in 2001 and the TOUR Championship in 1997. He was ranked number one in the world for 15 weeks in 1999.

His father Bob played on the Champions Tour, and both father and son won their respective tournaments on the same day in 1999.

Duval’s last individual appearance in the Zurich Classic came in 2014, when he finished a season-best 25th.

He is also a veteran of team play, with four Ryder Cups, three Presidents Cups, two World Cups, two World Amateur Team Championships and one Walker Cup.

At Georgia Tech, Duval was named 1993 Collegiate Player of the Year. He is one of only four collegiate players to earn Division I first team All-American status four times. He also won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1989.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format two years ago, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR. In 2018, the tournament field included six of the top ten players in the world; all four reigning major champions; the U.S. Ryder Cup captain and six members of the U.S. team along with the European Ryder Cup captain with four of his co-captains and six players on the victorious European team.

About Fore!Kids Foundation:

Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has helped to raise more than $36 million to date for children’s charities in metro New Orleans and Baton Rouge. More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.

About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:

Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.

The tournament will be played April 22-28, 2019 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2019 totals $7.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,051,200.

Single-day grounds tickets are only $35 and weekly passes are $85. Single day tickets for the two most popular hospitality venues on the PGA TOUR start at $85 for Acme Oyster House and $185 for The Champions Club. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult holding a grounds ticket. Other choices of suite and specialty venue options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.