The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

tournament in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

, currently held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, a suburb southwest of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Beginning in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly played in early to mid-spring.

Zurich Insurance Group Zurich Insurance Group Ltd is a Swiss insurance company, headquartered in Zürich, and the country's largest insurer. As of 2021, the group is the world's 112th largest public company according to ''Forbes'' Global 2000s list, and in 2011 it ran ...

is the main sponsor, and it is organized by the Fore!Kids Foundation. First prize reached five figures in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

, six figures in and passed the million-dollar mark in

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. The winning team in

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split over $2.39 million. In

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, the Zurich Classic became a team event, with eighty pairs. One member of each team is initially chosen via the Tour priority rankings, and his partner must either be a PGA Tour member or earn entry through a sponsor exemption. The stroke play format was alternate shot (foursome) in the first and third rounds and better ball (fourball) for the second and fourth rounds. The cut line is 33 teams, plus ties. The winners earn 400

FedEx Cup The FedEx Cup is a championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Announced in November 2005, it was first awarded in 2007. Rory McIlroy is the 2022 champion. Th ...

points and two-year exemptions, but will not receive Masters invitations and no

world ranking A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak order or total preorder of ...

points are awarded for the event. In

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, the format switched to fourball for the first and third rounds and alternate shot for the second and fourth rounds.

Tournament names and corporate sponsors

* Crescent City Open (1938) * New Orleans Open (1939–1948) * Greater New Orleans Open Invitational (1958–1971) * Greater New Orleans Invitational (1972–1974) * First NBC New Orleans Open (1975–1979) * Greater New Orleans Open (1980) *

USF&G USF&G was an American insurance company that existed from 1896 until 1998. It was originally called the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company. The insurer formed a holding company for its insurance businesses and changed its name to USF&G i ...

New Orleans Open (1981) * USF&G Classic (1982–1991) *

Freeport-McMoRan Freeport-McMoRan Inc., often called Freeport, is an American mining company based in the Freeport-McMoRan Center, in Phoenix, Arizona. The company is the world's largest producer of molybdenum, is a major copper producer and operates the world's ...

Golf Classic (1992–1993) * Freeport-McMoRan Classic (1994–1995) * Freeport-McDermott Classic (1996–1998) *

Compaq Compaq Computer Corporation (sometimes abbreviated to CQ prior to a 2007 rebranding) was an American information technology company founded in 1982 that developed, sold, and supported computers and related products and services. Compaq produced ...

Classic of New Orleans (1999–2002) * HP Classic of New Orleans (2003–2004) * Zurich Classic of New Orleans (2005–present)

Tournament highlights

* 1966: Frank Beard wins his first New Orleans title by two shots over

Gardner Dickinson Gardner Edward Dickinson, Jr. (September 14, 1927 – April 19, 1998) was an American professional golfer. Born in Dothan, Alabama, Dickinson was a student of Ben Hogan and crafted his swing in the Hogan tradition. He played college golf at Louis ...

. The win by Beard came two years after his being diagnosed with and almost dying of

encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include seizures, hallucinations, ...

shortly after playing in the 1964 Greater New Orleans Open Invitational. * 1972: PGA Tour rookie

Rogelio Gonzales Rogelio () is a masculine Spanish given name and a variant of the first name Roger. Notable people with the name include: * Rogelio Antonio, Jr. (born 1962), Filipino chess player * Rogelio Armenteros (born 1994), Cuban pitcher in Major League Ba ...

was disqualified after it was learned he had changed his scorecard earlier in the tournament. In addition to his disqualification, the PGA Tour lifted Gonzales playing privileges. * 1975:

Billy Casper William Earl Casper Jr. (June 24, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. In his youth, Casper started as a caddie a ...

wins for the 51st and ultimately last time on the PGA Tour. He beats

Peter Oosterhuis Peter Arthur Oosterhuis (born 3 May 1948) is an English professional golfer and golf broadcaster. Oosterhuis played on the European circuit from 1969 to 1974, winning 10 tournaments and taking the Harry Vardon Trophy for heading the Order of Mer ...

by two shots. * 1978:

Lon Hinkle Lon Hinkle (born July 17, 1949) is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. Hinkle was born in Flint, Michigan. He attended Santana High School in Santee, California, graduating in 1967. He then ...

earns his first ever PGA Tour title by birdieing the 72nd hole to beat

Fuzzy Zoeller Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller Jr. (; born November 11, 1951) is an American professional golfer who has won ten PGA Tour events including two major championships. He is one of three golfers to have won the Masters Tournament in his first appearan ...

and

Gibby Gilbert C.L. "Gibby" Gilbert II (born January 14, 1941) is an American professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. Gilbert was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and still makes his home there with his wif ...

by one shot. The win by Hinkle ends

Gary Player Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...

's consecutive tournament winning streak at three. * 1984: Mac O'Grady gets into an altercation with a female tournament volunteer. He is later fined and suspended by Tour Commissioner

Deane Beman } Deane R. Beman (born April 22, 1938) is an American professional golfer, golf administrator. He was the second commissioner of the PGA Tour, serving from 1974 to 1994. Early years Born in Washington, D.C., Beman attended the University of Maryla ...

for conduct unbecoming a professional golfer. * 1990:

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...

beats

Greg Norman Gregory John Norman AO (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian entrepreneur and retired professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 89 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA Tour tournament ...

by one shot after holing out from a sand trap on the 72nd hole. * 1995: In need of a win to qualify for

The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...

Davis Love III Davis Milton Love III (born April 13, 1964) is an American professional golfer who has won 21 events on the PGA Tour, including one major championship: the 1997 PGA Championship. He won the Players Championship in 1992 and 2003. He was in th ...

defeats Mike Heinen in a sudden death playoff. * 1999:

Carlos Franco Carlos Daniel Franco (born 24 May 1965) is a Paraguayan professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He is the brother of golfer Ángel Franco. Franco was born in Asunción, Paraguay. He comes from a poor background and ...

becomes the first South American to win on the PGA Tour since

Roberto De Vicenzo Roberto De Vicenzo (14 April 1923 – 1 June 2017) was a professional golfer from Argentina. He won a record 229 professional tournaments worldwide during his career, including seven on the PGA Tour and most famously the 1967 Open Championship. ...

at the 1968

Houston Champions International The Cadence Bank Houston Open is a professional golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, played in November. As a part of a restructuring of the schedule, the event moved to the fall in 2019. Because the tour year starts the previous fall, the ...

. Franco wins by two shots over Steve Flesch and

Harrison Frazar Harrison Frazar (born July 29, 1971) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Web.com Tour and currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Amateur career Frazar was born in Dallas, Texas and was raised there and in ...

. * 2002:

K. J. Choi Choi Kyung-Ju ( ko, 최경주; born 19 May 1970), commonly known as K. J. Choi, is a South Korean professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Since turning pro in 1994, he has won more than twenty p ...

becomes the first Korean born golfer to win on the PGA Tour. He beats

Dudley Hart Howard Dudley Hart (born August 4, 1968) is an American professional golfer with two PGA Tour wins in an injury-riddled career. Early years Hart was born in Rochester, New York. He attended Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School in Miami, Flor ...

and

Geoff Ogilvy Geoff Charles Ogilvy (born 11 June 1977) is an Australian professional golfer. He won the 2006 U.S. Open and has also won three World Golf Championships. Professional career Ogilvy was born in Adelaide, South Australia to an English-born fath ...

by four shots. * 2004:

Vijay Singh Vijay Singh ( hif, विजय सिंह ; born 22 February 1963), nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer. He has won 34 events on the PGA Tour, including three major championships: one Masters title (2000) and two ...

shoots a final round 63 to beat

Phil Mickelson Philip Alfred Mickelson (born June 16, 1970), nicknamed Lefty, is an American professional golfer who plays for LIV Golf. He has won 45 events on the PGA Tour, including six Men's major golf championships, major championships: three Masters To ...

and

Joe Ogilvie Norman Joseph Ogilvie (born April 8, 1974) is a retired American professional golfer. Ogilvie was born in Lancaster, Ohio and graduated from Duke University. He played on the PGA Tour and picked up his only win on tour at the U.S. Bank Championsh ...

by one shot. * 2017: The event switched to a team format.

Courses

From the event's inception through 2004, it was played at a series of courses in New Orleans, starting at the City Park Golf Courses, where it was played through 1962. From 1963 through 1988, the event had a lengthy relationship with Lakewood Country Club before shifting to

English Turn Golf and Country Club The English Turn Golf and Country Club is a Private property, private golf course and country club in the southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Formerly a venue of the PGA Tour, its par-72 championship course measures from t ...

in 1989 for sixteen editions through 2004. TPC Louisiana in Avondale became the host in 2005, but damage to the course by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

that August forced the event back to English Turn for a year in 2006. It returned to the TPC in

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, its current home.

Course layout

TPC Louisiana in 2016 Source:

Winners

''Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records''
Sources:Zurich Classic of New Orleans – Winners
- at pgatour.comZurich Classic of New Orleans – Past Winners & Highlights

Multiple winners

There is yet to be a three-time winner at New Orleans, but eleven have won twice. Four won in consecutive years:

Byron Nelson John Byron Nelson Jr. (February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006) was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. Nelson and two other legendary champions of the time, Ben Hog ...

Bo Wininger Francis G. "Bo" Wininger (November 16, 1922 – December 7, 1967) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s. Wininger played on the same high school football and baseball teams in Commerce, Oklahoma as ...

, Tom Watson, and Franco. 2 wins *

Henry Picard Henry Gilford Picard (November 28, 1906 – April 30, 1997) was an American professional golfer. Born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Picard learned to play golf while caddying at the Plymouth Country Club. Already a talented player by his early 20s ...

: 1939, 1941 *

: 1945, 1946 *

: 1962, 1963 * Frank Beard: 1966, 1971 *

: 1958, 1975 * Tom Watson: 1980, 1981 * Chip Beck: 1988, 1992 *

Ben Crenshaw Ben Daniel Crenshaw (born January 11, 1952) is a retired American professional golfer who has won 19 events on the PGA Tour, including two major championships: the Masters Tournament in 1984 and 1995. He is nicknamed ''Gentle Ben''. Professiona ...

: 1987, 1994 *

: 1999, 2000 *

Billy Horschel William John Horschel (born December 7, 1986) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Early years and amateur career Horschel was born and raised in Grant, Florida. He attended Bayside High School in neighborin ...

: 2013, 2018 *

Cameron Smith Cameron Smith may refer to: * Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1983), Australian rugby league footballer * Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1998), English rugby league footballer * Cameron Smith (golfer) (born 1993), Australian golfer * Cammy Smi ...

: 2017, 2021

Notes

References

External links

*
Coverage on PGA Tour's official siteTPC Louisiana
– official site
English Turn Golf & Country Club
– former host (1989–2004, 2006)
Lakewood Golf Club
– former host (1963–1988)
City Park Golf Courses
– former host (1937–1962) {{coord, 29.902, -90.190, display=t, type:event_region:US-LA PGA Tour events Golf in New Orleans

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1938 1938 establishments in Louisiana