The PGA Tour's best are teaming up and looking for success this week in New Orleans when the 2022 Zurich Classic tees off Thursday. The Zurich Classic became a team event in 2017, and TPC Louisiana plays as one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour, so the best-ball and alternate-shot tournament is a treat for players and fans. Ryan Palmer, who won the event in 2019 alongside Jon Rahm, has found another top-tier partner in world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. And Cameron Smith, who faltered on the final day as Scheffler won the Masters two weeks ago, will be back alongside Marc Leishman as they try to defend their 2021 title. Top-five players Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland are joining forces and are an 8-1 co-favorite along with Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele in the latest Zurich Classic odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Smith and Leishman are listed at 9-1, while Scheffler and Palmer are 11-1.
Can Cantlay rebound from a playoff loss last week and help carry his team – and your 2022 Zurich Classic Fantasy golf picks – to victory? Or will Shane Lowry use his mis-steps at Harbour Town as motivation and make the pairing of him and Ian Poulter (20-1) a better pick? Before making any Fantasy golf picks or bets on the 2022 Zurich Classic, be sure you check out the Fantasy golf projections and rankings from SportsLine fantasy expert Riley Gates.
Gates is a writer for 247Sports and has covered a range of sports for nearly five years. He has followed golf closely for much longer and has a profound knowledge of the sport. He also knows what it takes to win, on the course and in fantasy sports.
He has been on a roll on his picks all season. At the Masters, eight of his 20 picks finished in the top eight, including Scheffler and runner-up Rory McIlroy. In fact, the top four golfers on the final leader board were among his picks. He noted that Scheffler was playing the best of anyone and that he expected him to be a contender. And of course he was, winning his fourth tournament in less than two months.
At the Valspar Championship, seven of his picks finished in the top 12. He was on the money at Phoenix, where his five top selections all ended up in the top 10. And he nailed his picks at the Sentry, with four of his top seven picks posting top-five finishes, and he duplicated that at the Hero World Challenge. Anyone who has followed Gates is way up.
Now, Gates has ranked his top golfers for the 2022 Zurich Classic, and you'll really want to see what he has to say. His picks, predictions and fantasy projections are only available at SportsLine.
2022 Zurich Classic golf expert picks
Gates is solidly behind the pairing of Morikawa and Hovland, who are among the best ball-strikers in the world and have the rankings to prove it. Morikawa is No. 2 in the world and has three top-five finishes this season, and six top-10's in nine events. Hovland ranks fifth and has four top-10's. He won at Mayakoba and at the limited-field Hero World Challenge a month later. Morikawa is sixth in scoring average and seventh in strokes gained off the tee, while Hovland is third in SG approach. Both hit more than 70 percent of their greens in regulation.
Surprisingly, Gates isn't high on Smith and Leishman and doesn't have them among his top five picks. They made a strong team last year, but Smith is faltering just a little bit, while Leishman hasn't had any success recently. He has three top-10 finishes this season, but two were in the fall and the other was in early January. The 38-year-old came in confident off a T-5 at last year's Masters, but he tied for 30th this year. Smith will need to carry the team, but he comes off a missed cut and a rough final day at Augusta that cost him a chance to compete for the victory.
How to set your 2022 Zurich Classic Fantasy golf rankings
For the 2022 Zurich Classic, the fantasy expert is backing two long-shot teams ahead of Smith-Leishman that come in at more than 25-1. Gates says both of these teams are made up of players in excellent form, and the golfers should play well off each other. You can find out who it is, and check out all of Gates' top Zurich Classic of New Orleans fantasy golf picks at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2022 Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana? Who are the top PGA Tour players to target for your Fantasy picks? And which overlooked players can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Riley Gates' Fantasy golf rankings for the 2022 RBC Heritage, all from the fantasy expert who has been on fire with his picks, and find out.
