The Zurich Classic of New Orleans returns this week, with TPC Louisiana playing host to the team event on the PGA Tour.
It immediately follows the RBC Heritage in the 2026 schedule, which Matt Fitzpatrick won via a playoff against Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler is now taking a break from PGA Tour action after that near miss, but Fitzpatrick has committed himself to the tournament.
And the Englishman is indeed among a trio of very exciting pairings lining out at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Matt Fitzpatrick/Alex Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick will pair up with his brother Alex Fitzpatrick this week, which is a partnership that should attract plenty of attention.
Matt Fitzpatrick is the new world number three and represents the highest-ranked player in the field, while Alex recently claimed his maiden win on the DP World Tour.
The pair missed the cut at the tournament this time last year, but a lot has changed for both golfers since then, while they’ll have plenty of motivation to produce a strong showing now.
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Brooks Koepka/Shane Lowry
It was indeed Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak who lifted the trophy in 2025, with the American duo out to defend their title this year.
But they may need to get past the star-studded pairing of Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry, with the Irishman having won the tournament in 2024 alongside Rory McIlroy.
He has a new partner now, with five-time major champion Koepka certain to steal the spotlight following his recent return from LIV Golf.
Blades Brown/Luke Clanton
Defending champions Griffin and Novak have spoken ahead of the event, where they discussed its difficulty despite the lack of high-profile stars such as McIlroy.
And while they didn’t mention any names, the pair may just have dropped a slight hint regarding youngsters Blades Brown and Luke Clanton, who represent another exciting partnership this week.
Novak said: “You may not know some of the names in this tournament yet, but you will. There’s some kids playing in this tournament that you better get to learn their names sooner rather than later.
“Some of them have decided to pair up together, so that’s going to be a bit of an issue, but we’ll have to deal with that Thursday to Sunday. Yeah, just because you don’t know the names yet doesn’t mean you won’t.”
And Griffin concurred: “Yeah, the field is very strong. Everyone that’s on the PGA Tour or has a conditional PGA Tour card, they’re still incredibly talented golfers. Maybe they just haven’t broken through yet.”
Both Clanton and Brown are very exciting prospects, with the former just 22 years old while the latter is only 18.
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