Zurich Classic field includes four in top 10 in the world, eight in top 20

PRE-TOURNAMENT NOTES FOR THE 2023 ZURICH CLASSIC

Some interesting facts and figures about this year’s tournament

NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 14, 2023)—With the 2023 Zurich Classic ready to tee off in just a few days, the field is taking shape with some interesting combinations of the best players in the world.

“Once again, we have been blessed with a very strong field this year,” said Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament. “The strength of our field shows how many players value the chance to tee it up with friends and potential international competition partners,” Worthy added.

Four Top Tenners, four Second Tenners

The 2023 Zurich Classic field includes four of the top 10 players and eight of the top 20 in the world to lead another strong field:
· Defending champions Patrick Cantlay, ranked fourth in the world, and Xander Schauffele, ranked sixth have entered.
· They join last year’s runner-up team of Billy Horschel, ranked 26th with Sam Burns, who vaulted to 10th in the world after winning the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship.
· Collin Morikawa, ranked 11th in the world has entered to play with Max Homa, ranked seventh.
· 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, ranked 16th in the world, will team with his brother Alex.
· Other players ranked in the world’s top 20 include Sungjae Im, 17th (teamed with Keith Mitchell) and Kurt Kitayama, 20th (partnered with Taylor Montgomery).

Other notes of interest about the field include:

Masters Tenners
· Four of the top ten finishers in the just-completed Masters will be playing in New Orleans next week: Sahith Theegala, who finished ninth; reigning U.S. Open champion Fitzpatrick; defending Zurich Classic champion Schauffele and Morikawa, all of whom finished tied for tenth.

The Daly Show
· Golf legends and major title winners David Duval and John Daly have entered as a team. Both now play on the Champions Tour. Duval won 14 times on the PGA Tour, including The Open Championship in 2001, his final victory. He was ranked number one in the world for 14 weeks in 1999. Daly won two majors among five total victories in his PGA Tour career.

Six years together
· Two teams will play together for the sixth consecutive time in the Zurich Classic: Charley Hoffman and Nick Watney (who won the Zurich Classic in 2007) and Kevin Tway and Kelly Kraft.

Tway and Kraft took third in 2017, while Hoffman and Watney finished fifth that year.

Former champs switch partners
· Two former champions are playing with partners different from the ones they won Zurich Classic titles with. Ryan Palmer is teamed with Scott Piercy to form a unique former champion team.

Palmer won the Zurich title in 2019 partnered with 2023 Masters champion and world number one Jon Rahm. Piercy was victorious the year before teamed with Billy Horschel, who is the only player to win both individual and team titles at the Zurich Classic.

Is this their time?
· Horschel is partnered this year with LSU All-American Sam Burns, ranked 10th in the world. They finished second last year and fourth the year before.

College ties
· Kurt Kitayama, ranked 20th in the world and winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year, will team with Taylor Montgomery, who has posted two top-5 finishes this season and has risen to 22nd in FedExCup points. Kitayama and Montgomery played together at University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
· Seven teams played together in their college careers:
· Brandon Wu/Joe Bramlett (Stanford)
· Harry Higgs/Austin Smotherman (SMU)
· Doug Ghim/Kramer Hickok (Texas)
· Ben Griffin/Ryan Gerard (UNC)
· Andrew Landry/Austin Cook (Arkansas)
· Lee Hodges/Robbie Shelton (Alabama)
· Kitayama/Montgomery (UNLV)

Former champs return
· Former Zurich Classic champions entered in this year’s field include:
· Nick Watney (2007)
· Billy Horschel (2013 and 2018)
· Brian Stuard (2016)
· Jonas Blixt (2017)
· Scott Piercy (2018)
· Ryan Palmer (2019)

The final field will be released by the PGA Tour Friday at 5 p.m. EDT.

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.

In 2022, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.7 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas. Charitable contributions have been rising in recent years:
· Over $2.7 Million to charities in 2022
· Over $10 Million to charities in last five years
· Over $45 Million to charities since inception

More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.

About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest-ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.

The Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2023, along with the excitement of close-up action at the Stadium Club by Walk-On’s overlooking the 17th hole.

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 17-23, 2023, at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2023 totals a record $8.6 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,242,700.

All tickets to the 2023 Zurich Classic will be mobile entry only. Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day, and the Stadium Club by Walk-On’s will offer close-up viewing at the 17th hole. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.