Zurich Classic Recap

Just last year, the Zurich Classic was a very minor stop on the PGA Tour. Last year’s tournament was a disappointment from start to finish, with so much rain throughout the week that a Monday finish was required just to get the minimum of three rounds completed for it to be an official tournament. However, promises of a completely new format changed all that, and those promises were fulfilled by Monday morning.

The rebranding of the tournament started with the reformatting of the way the event was played. The PGA Tour signed off on the creation of a two man team event, the first one on tour since the 1981 Walt Disney World National Team Championship. Rounds 1 and 3 would be played as an alternate shot format, and rounds 2 and 4 would be a two man best ball. This new style of competition proved to be lucrative, and it attracted many of the world’s top players, including Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Thomas.

The weather and the course were ideal for low numbers, and it showed right out of the gate. It was a crowded and star studded leaderboard throughout the week, with names like Spieth, Thomas, and Patrick Reed all vying for the trophy.

Sunday proved to be one of the most exciting final rounds in recent history. It started early in the morning with Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown bolting out of the gate, making birdie on holes 1 through 6. At this point, the two had just overtaken Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith for the lead at -21 when play was suspended for over six hours due to thunderstorms. However, the softer conditions and low winds made hole locations even more accessible for players, and the birdies were plentiful for the rest of the day.

Leaders Kisner and Brown birdied holes 7 and 8 for a combined 8 birdies in a row, and after a par on 9, they “bounced back” with two more birdies to add to their total. Overnight leaders Smith and Blixt were helped by the break, and birdied four of the first six holes after the delay to move to within 1 shot of the lead by hole 12. Texans Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer also reaped the benefits of the delay, making birdie on four of the first five holes after the delay. The two leading teams hit a bit of a lull after the 12th hole, and that was when Spieth and Palmer hit the throttle. Birdies on 13, 14 and 15 vaulted the team into contention before a short birdie putt on 16 by Spieth lipped out harder than becoming a member at Augusta. The missed putt effectively took the two Texans out of contention, and it left just two teams fighting for the trophy. Blixt and Smith broke the par streak by making birdie on 16, and then 17 as well. Going into 18, they had a one shot lead over Kisner and Brown. However, an errant approach shot left of the green left a difficult up and down for Smith, with Kisner having a much easier chip from just off the green. Smith’s next shot was possibly the best shot of his young career. He hit an unbelievable flop shot that nestled up to within a few feet of the pin. With the sun setting and Smith in close for birdie, many viewers (including myself) thought that the tournament was over. Well, we were all wrong, because Kisner, going for broke, jammed his eagle chip into the flagstick and watched it fall in for eagle.

Kisner’s eagle on the last meant that there would be a playoff on Monday morning, and viewers would have to wait till then to see who would win. In light of the final round, the playoff wasn’t really all that exciting. It was one of those things where both teams had plenty of opportunities to win, but the putts just wouldn’t fall. Eventually, Cameron Smith birdied the 18th hole to secure the victory for him and Jonas Blixt. The team victory not only secures both players tour cards through the 2018-2019 season, but it also gets Smith into the field at the Players in two weeks.

Overall, I think that the tournament was a great success. Great golf was played throughout the week, and the conclusion on Sunday night and Monday morning was great as well. I had a few critiques of the CBS coverage, including a lack there of for the morning of the final round, and I was also a little disappointed in the dual PGA and LPGA coverage by the Golf Channel. However, for the most part, the new format brought a fresh, laid back feel to an otherwise insignificant event. In a long, year round season, a creative new format such as this one will have a long, successful life on tour.

Written by Paul Choma