Read The Line
Zurich Classic odds 2024: 3 bets we’re making on Monday
Editor's Note: This article is published in partnership with Read The Line, a Golf Digest content partner.
Tracy Wilcox
This is perhaps the most unique week on the PGA Tour, and it provides us with a chance to have some fun with the betting board.
Eighty teams of two will compete for 72 holes in a special two-person format. The top 33 teams and ties will make the weekend. Last week, there was no cut for 69 players, and now the field faces their toughest cut line of the season. One hundred and sixty players are competing for those coveted weekend tee times and $8.9 million dollars in prize money.
In order to win the $1.3-million dollar first-place check (amount for each winner), the guys must compete in multiple formats. Rounds one and three are Fourball or better ball of partners. Rounds two and four are Foursomes, or alternate shot. These are the same two formats used in the bi-annual Ryder Cup matches. You must understand the format of this unique week before you can begin to breakdown the best bets, which is the purpose of our weekly Odds Drop column.
To me, there are three “types” of teams in the event. The first are the friends. Seldom a threat to win, these teams are made up of an elite tour player and a friend. The ultimate example of this partnership is the Fitzpatricks. If you watched the most recent season of Full Swing on Netflix, you know that Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, paired with his brother, Alex, from the DP World Tour last year—and they’re back in 2024. The second type of squad is the dream team. Two automatic betting guys we all want to see play together. Keith Mitchell and Joel Dahmen top this list in 2024. A win by Cashmere Keith and Joel would be beyond popular, but Keith just switched caddies and Joel has missed his last two cuts.
The third team type is the one to watch. These perfect pairings always have chemistry and usually lack the star power to attract a lot of attention. Scanning the betting board, two teams who represent this winning category are Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy (25-1) and Nick Taylor/Adam Hadwin (35-1). Both squads have solid recent form and serious scoring potential. The team format started in 2017. In the last seven years, teams have averaged 16-under par in the Fourball (Better ball of partners) and six under par in the Foursomes (alternate shot). The teams with chemistry tend to tear up alternate shot, which is crucial for scoring.
My first play of the week is to grab the 2023 Zurich Classic runner-up team of Taylor and Hadwin (35-1). PGA Tour Canadian players are extremely driven this season. The Presidents Cup is being played in Montreal, and these guys want to be on that team. Taylor has already won this year, and Adam is eighth in birdie average on tour. In 2019, these two finished ninth. Positive memories and sensational scoring are why these two have tons of Zurich Classic potential.
For our other bets and our selections for the worst value options for the 2024 Zurich Classic, make sure you watch our weekly “Odds Drop” video:
Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith's winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.