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The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is four weeks away, but it is already starting to make headlines. On Thursday, March 28, brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick were announced as one of the teams participating in the tournament.
The 2022 US Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick and his DP World Tour-bound brother are the fifth team to confirm their participation in the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The Zurich Classic announced the news on social media.
In the official announcement, Steve Worthy, CEO of Fore!Kids Foundation - the producer of the event, said (via Crescent City Sports):
“We are excited to have Matt and Alex joining us in New Orleans again. Matt is already a major champion and has been in the top 10 in the world, while Alex is finding success on the DP World Tour. They were a great story last year and their experience here should serve them well in their attempt to win this year."
This is Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick's second appearance as a team at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. They finished T19 with a score of 10 under during the 2023 edition.
The other teams confirmed to participate in the 2024 edition of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans are the defending champions Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala, and Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
A look at the history of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is the only official team event on the PGA Tour schedule. It is played in foursomes during the first and third rounds and fourballs during the second and fourth rounds. The field is made up of 80 duos and the best 33 (plus ties) make the cut after 36 holes.
The tournament was founded in 1938 as the Crescent City Open and was played as an individual event until 2016.
It has been played at four courses in its history: City Park Golf Courses, Lakewood Country Club, English Turn Golf and Country Club, and TPC Louisiana in Avondale, where it is currently played.
Several legendary players won the tournament when it was played in singles format. The list includes Byron Nelson, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, and Vijay Singh.
No player has won the tournament three times or more, while 11 have won it twice. Only Billy Horschel won it in both individual (2013) and team (2018) formats.
The lowest score record for 72 holes in the event (individual format) is 26 under 262 and is held by Chip Beck from when he won in 1988, playing at Lakewood Country Club. The record in the team format was set by defending champions Nick Hardy and Davis Riley (30 under 258).
