Spieth and Palmer again form team to compete in Zurich Classic

Pair finished fourth in last year’s event, first to feature team format

NEW ORLEANS – Jordan Spieth, ranked third in the world, will partner again with Ryan Palmer in this year’s Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“We welcome Jordan and Ryan back to our tournament,” said Worthy. “They placed fourth here last year and attracted huge galleries throughout the course,” Worthy added.

Spieth is coming to New Orleans after a third-place finish at the Masters, where he matched the all-time fourth round low score of 64.

Spieth has won 11 times on the PGA TOUR and twice in Australia. His titles include the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open, the 2017 Open Championship and the 2015 TOUR Championship.

This season, in addition to his third place at the Masters, he also placed third in the Houston Open and ninth in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Genesis Open.

He has won the Australian Open twice, joining champions such as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Greg Norman as multiple winners of that tournament. In 2015, he won the Valspar Championship, the Masters, the U.S. Open and the TOUR Championship to become ranked number one in the world. He held his top ranking for a total of 26 weeks. He has ranked in the top 10 in the world every week since the end of 2014, his second full season on the PGA TOUR.

Spieth has played on the last two Ryder Cup teams and the last three Presidents Cup squads and was a member of the Walker Cup team in 2011 when he was a freshman at University of Texas.

He is the only golfer besides Tiger Woods to win the U.S. Junior Amateur twice. While in high school at Jesuit Dallas, he won the Texas Class 5A state championship three times from 2009-11. He went on to play for the University of Texas, where he helped his team win the 2011 NCAA championship. He was named All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year that season.

His playing partner Palmer is a fellow Texan who has won three times on the PGA TOUR, most recently at the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii. He finished tied for fourth in the 2012 Zurich Classic when his third round score of 64 tied the course record at TPC Louisiana.

This season he lost in a three-way playoff to Jason Day in the Farmer Insurance Open.

He advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs in 2016 for the ninth time in 10 seasons. He just barely missed qualifying for the TOUR Championship that year, finishing 34th after posting a tie for fourth in the BMW Championship the week before.

He missed the fall portion of last season while his wife Jennifer was treated for breast cancer.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using Foursomes (alternate shot) for the first extra hole and Four-ball (best ball) for the second extra hole and alternate each hole thereafter.

Already committed to the tournament are: new Masters champion Patrick Reed; FedExCup leader Justin Thomas, ranked second in the world; Jon Rahm, ranked fourth in the world; Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion; Bubba Watson, who has won twice this season and will be paired with 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Matt Kuchar; 2016 Olympic gold and silver winners Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson playing as a team again and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk.

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 Taste of the Tournament gala and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has helped to raise more than $34 million to date for children’s charities in metro New Orleans and Baton Rouge. More information at 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 23-29, 2018 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2018 totals $7.2 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,036,800.

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. 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.