Updated April 23, 2026, 5:20 p.m. ET
It’s the lone team event on the PGA Tour. It’s also in a tough spot on the schedule: two weeks after a major, one week after a signature event and right before back-to-back sigs.
The 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans will be played at TPC Louisiana as teams of two pros compete in a mixed format consisting of alternate shot for the first and third rounds, and fourball (better ball) for the second and final rounds.
See tee times and groupings and keep tabs on all the numbers posted on the 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans leaderboard.
Here’s how things stood after the early wave of play:
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!PlaceTeamScore1Smalley/Springer-142Thompson/Eckroat-133Stevens/Bauchou-12T4Brennan/Keefer-11T4Horschel/Hoge-11T4Martin/Crowe-11T4Nyholm/Svensson-118Pendrith/Hughes-10T9Blair/Fishburn-9T9Byrd/Reavie-9Where to watch, stream the 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans First round, Thursday, April 23 What will the cut be? Insanely low, probably
Each year, the cut at the Zurich is low, as our David Dusek can attest.
Smalley, Springer shoot 58 in first round
A wild day of low scores culminated in Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer firing a 58 to get to the top of the leaderboard on Thursday. Here’s how they did it. This duo set TPC Louisiana ablaze with 12 birdies and an eagle on the second hole en route to a 14-under 58 and the early lead.
Hossler, Ryder off to quick start
Beau Hossler and Sam Ryder jumped out into the lead as of 10 a.m. Thursday morning, getting to 5 under through their first six holes in the four-ball format. Hossler has made the cut in four of his last five events after opening the season with three straight missed cuts. Ryder, meanwhile, had his best finish in his last event, the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, where he finished 21st and made almost $100,000. UPDATE: The duo finished the day at 9 under.
Eckroat, Thompson finish at 59
Using an eagle from Austin Eckroat on the seventh hole and a string of birdies at the start of the back nine, the duo of Eckroat and Davis Thompson has jumped to 13 under through 17 holes, tying for the lead as of 1 p.m. They finished at 59.
Snedeker, Mitchell clicking again
Keith Mitchell and Brandt Snedeker have played this event together before, back in 2021, and they finished a respectable T-4. And in Snedeker, Mitchell could not have found a player who could do a better job of patching up his shortcomings. The former standout at the University of Georgia ranks sixth in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and averages 311 yards per drive, but he is also among the worst putters, statistically, on the PGA Tour, ranking 124th in Strokes Gained: Putting. On Thursday, the duo got off to a great start, using an eagle from Snedeker on the seventh hole and were 6 under through their first 10 holes of play.
Snedeker, 45, has been an elite putter throughout most of his career.
“He’s probably going to read all my putts and just tell me where to hit them, and I’m perfectly fine with that,” Mitchell said. “I wish he could putt for me every week. I think most Tour players would say that.”
‘Friends’ Bauchou, Stevens shine in opening round
Zach Bauchou and Sam Stevens have long had chemistry since they were buddies back at Oklahoma State. Or were they? After combining on a 12-under 60 in the opening round on Thursday, Stevens joked that things went downhill in Stillwater on a team that had Viktor Hovland and Kristoffer Ventura once Bauchou arrived.
“When he got to school, I really didn’t like him that much, but we ended up we were roommates, the two of us, and then Kris and Viktor roomed together our senior year. Then Zach ended up being the best man at my wedding, just because there were no better options (laughing),” he joked. “No, we’ve been really good friends for a long time. Yeah, it’s a blessing just to be out here playing with him. It’s a lot of fun.”
Dive right in! Brennan strips down on 18th hole
It’s not terribly uncommon to see pro golfers shed some clothing and wade into water hazards in an effort to avoid having to take a penalty stroke, but Michael Brennan took it to a new level Thursday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Brennan and his teammate, Johnny Keefer, started on the back nine in Thursday’s opening round and when they got to the par-5 18th, things got messy. It ended up with one of them taking their shirt off. Here’s what happened.
What wins at Zurich? Low, low opening rounds
Speaking of fast starts, that’s what it takes to win the Zurich, where the last five winners have averaged under 62 in their victories.
2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans field
The team of Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry is the headliner. Why did Lowry and Koepka team up? Turns out they’ve been friends for years. Other notables include the brothers Fitzpatrick (Matt and Alex), a duo of youngsters, Blades Brown and Luke Clanton, and the defending champions Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak. The complete field features 74 teams.
Two years ago, Lowry teamed up with Rory McIlroy to win the title. Billy Horschel, who is paired with Tom Hoge in 2026, is the only golfer to win the event when it was an individual stroke-play competition and as a member of a twosome after it became a team event.
Zurich Classic payout, purse: How much does each team get?
The total purse for the 2026 Zurich Classic is $9.5 million. The winners of the Zurich Classic each receive $1,372,750 million.
2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans format
The PGA Tour stop uses the Ryder Cup-style formats of four-balls and foursomes. Four-ball, also known as best ball, is in play for the first and third rounds. Foursomes, also known as alternate shot, will be used for the second and final rounds. The tournament is April 23-26.
What are the hole locations for round 1 of the Zurich?
Here are the pin placements for the opening round of play:
Did you see the Crawfish Boil?
Our David Dusek was on the scene again for the annual Crawfish Boil, and it was again a hit.
What’s the weather at the Zurich Classic on Thursday?
Warm and breezy is the best way to describe the weather today in New Orleans.
Where is the 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans played?
The Zurich is held at the TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana, just southwest of the city of New Orleans. The golf course ranks No. 2 on the Golfweek’s Best: Top public-access golf courses in Louisiana list. The tournament started in 1938 and has been held at TPC Louisiana since 2005. It became a team event during the 2016-17 PGA Tour season.