Horschel and Piercy team up to take Zurich Classic title
What happened at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
On the return to the site of his very first PGA Tour win, Billy Horschel made it five tour wins alongside Scott Piercy as the pair fired a final round foursomes 67 to beat Jason Dufner and Pat Perez by a shot.
Two birdies in the opening two holes set the tone for the rest of the day as the duo went bogey-free – quite the feat in foursomes, the tougher of the two formats played this week.
Just ask the overnight leaders Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown. The pair, who lost in a playoff last year, laboured to a 77 and couldn’t even hold on to a top-10 finish.
But there were big moves elsewhere, with Chris Paisley and Tommy Fleetwood closing with an eagle to finish 4th, while the South African pairing of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel signed for 68 to finish 3rd. Both groups were tipped up in our betting column this week.
The clubhouse target was set at 20-under, but it soon became clear that this was going to be won by either Horschel/Piercy or Dufner/Perez. Leading by one playing the 18th, Horschel narrowly missed his birdie effort, so it would all come down to a 15-foot birdie putt from Dufner to level things up and take it to extra holes. Not known for his putting ability, Dufner left his putt short and wide to seal the victory for Horschel and Piercy.
Teamwork makes the dream work!@BillyHo_Golf and @ScottPiercyPGA take the @Zurich_Classic title. ?#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/dVv8hikEIZ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 29, 2018
Talking point
The walk-on music gathered the most attention this week – rather than the actual golf. To put it bluntly, the experiment wasn’t great, but we’ve summed that all up right here as we argue whether golf really needs music.
Best moments
From three-shots back to the top spot. ? pic.twitter.com/Jy85oDhL7w
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 29, 2018
What a man @ChrisPaisley86 !!!!!
— Tommy Fleetwood (@TommyFleetwood1) April 29, 2018
What a finish! ?
Hugs all around after @ChrisPaisley86's eagle hole-out. #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/ljbw9MfRZl
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 29, 2018
Team @Louis57TM / @CA_Schwartzel are CHARGING.
Four-straight birdies since they've made the turn @Zurich_Classic.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/08gxJkYAFH
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 29, 2018
Ball below his feet. Awkward stance.@BillyHo_Golf sets up the tap-in birdie to tie the lead! #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/addz7SRUau
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 29, 2018
Best quote
Billy Horschel –
Scott is not a bad putter. He just needed to see a couple putts go in. He rolled the ball well the last couple days. The last putt…it just wanted to take a little trip around the hole once or twice to soak it in.
Best stat
If Horschel/Piercy win today, Billy will become, remarkably, the NINTH different former Florida Gator with 5+ PGA Tour wins.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) April 29, 2018
Does golf need gimmicks like walk-on music?
Bjork claims maiden European Tour win in China
This is what happens when you let golfers pick their own music
Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
