SportsLine’s model simulated the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans 10,000 times and revealed its surprising PGA Tour golf picks
If Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, they’ll become the first team to successfully defend their title at this event. McIlroy and Lowry shot 25-under par over four rounds last year, but they’ll have to stave off several serious contenders if they want to rewrite the history books. Collin Morikawa is teaming up with Kurt Kitayama this week, while Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, the 2023 champions, are also in the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans field.
Play gets underway from TPC Louisiana on Thursday, April 24. McIlroy and Lowry are the +360 favorites, according to the latest 2025 Zurich Classic odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. They’re followed by Morikawa / Kitayama (12-1), Thomas Detry / Robert MacIntyre (18-1) and J.T. Poston / Keith Mitchell (18-1) on the PGA odds board. Before locking in your 2025 Zurich Classic picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up nearly $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 14 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters – its fourth Masters in a row – and last year’s PGA Championship and U.S. Open. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting apps like FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM.
Now that the 2025 Zurich Classic field is locked in, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.
2025 Zurich Classic predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2025 Zurich Classic: Morikawa and Kitayama, who’ve combined for seven wins on the PGA Tour, barely crack the top five. These two teamed up in 2024 but recorded a disappointing T-23 finish with a score of 18-under par. They performed well in the best-ball format, but struggled during alternate shot, shooting a 70 in the second and fourth rounds.
Morikawa remains one of the best ball-strikers on the PGA Tour, but the two-time major champion has struggled with a putter in his hands this season. The 28-year-old enters this week’s event ranked 85th in strokes gained: putting (0.046) and 87th in one-putt percentage (41.07%). Meanwhile, Kitayama ranks 116th in greens in regulation percentage (64.63%), 133rd in strokes gained: approach to green (-0.240) and 159th in driving accuracy (53.88%). They’re not a strong pick to win it all, and there are far better values in the 2025 Zurich Classic field. See who else to fade here.
Another surprise: Brice Garnett and Sepp Straka, 33-1 longshots, make a strong run at the title. This duo has a much better chance to win it all than their odds imply, so they’re a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.
Garnett currently ranks seventh in driving accuracy (70%) and eighth in greens in regulation percentage (70.14%), which bodes well at a course like TPC Louisiana. His game will complement an in-form Straka, who’s recorded one win and three top-10 finishes this season. Straka ranks first in strokes gained: approach to green (1.098), second in greens in regulation percentage (72.10%) and eighth in putting average (1.702), making this duo a strong value pick for your 2025 Zurich Classic bets. See who else to pick here.
How to make 2025 Zurich Classic picks
The model is also targeting three other teams with odds of 25-1 or longer who will make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s picks here.
Who will win the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2025 Zurich Classic odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 14 golf majors, including the last four Masters and three majors in 2024.
2025 Zurich Classic odds, favorites
Get full 2025 Zurich Classic picks, best bets and predictions here.
Shane Lowry / Rory McIlroy +360
Kurt Kitayama / Collin Morikawa +1200
Thomas Detry / Robert MacIntyre +1800
J.T. Poston / Keith Mitchell +1800
Taylor Moore / Wyndham Clark +2200
Andrew Novak / Ben Griffin +2200
Aaron Rai / Sahith Theegala +2500
Rasmus Højgaard / Nicolai Højgaard +2800
Billy Horschel / Tom Hoge +2800
Max Greyserman / Nico Echavarria +3000
Brice Garnett / Sepp Straka +3300
Ryan Fox / Garrick Higgo +3500
Akshay Bhatia / Carson Young +3500
Nick Taylor / Adam Hadwin +3500
Jesper Svensson / Niklas Norgaard +3500
Laurie Canter / Jordan Smith +4000
Michael Thorbjornsen / Karl Vilips +4000
Thorbjørn Olesen / Matt Wallace +4000
Alejandro Tosti / Joe Highsmith +4000
Matt Fitzpatrick / Alex Fitzpatrick +4500
Jhonattan Vegas / Kevin Yu +4500
Rico Hoey / Sam Ryder +4500
Joseph Bramlett / Alex Smalley +4500
Max McGreevy / Sam Stevens +4500
Jacob Bridgeman / Chandler Phillips +5000
Doug Ghim / Chan Kim +5500
Ryan Gerard / Danny Walker +5500
Erik van Rooyen / Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5500
Cam Davis / Adam Svensson +6000
Quade Cummins / Chris Gotterup +6000
Beau Hossler / Andrew Putnam +6000
Victor Perez / Matthieu Pavon +6500
Nate Lashley / Hayden Springer +6500
Harry Higgs / Joel Dahmen +7000
Bud Cauley / Kevin Tway +7000
Frankie Capan III / Jake Knapp +7500
Jeremy Paul / Yannik Paul +7500
Luke List / Henrik Norlander +8000
Ryo Hisatsune / Takumi Kanaya +8000
Si Woo Kim / Sangmoon Bae +8000
William Mouw / Ricky Castillo +8000
Justin Lower / Chad Ramey +8000
Patrick Fishburn / Zac Blair +8000
Jackson Suber / Pierceson Coody +8000
Cameron Champ / Lanto Griffin +9000
Davis Riley / Nick Hardy +9000
Sami Valimaki / Ben Silverman +10000
Isaiah Salinda / Kevin Velo +10000
Robby Shelton / Trey Mullinax +10000
Kris Ventura / Antoine Rozner +10000
Mac Meissner / Noah Goodwin +10000
Adam Schenk / Tyler Duncan +11000
Tim Widing / Steven Fisk +11000
Angel Ayora / Alejandro Del Rey +11000
Matt McCarty / Mason Andersen +12000
Vince Whaley / Anders Albertson +12000
Kevin Roy / Trevor Cone +15000
Ryan Brehm / Mark Hubbard +15000
Sam Saunders / Eric Cole +15000
Will Gordon / Matthew Riedel +17000
Zach Johnson / Ryan Palmer +17000
Nick Watney / Charley Hoffman +17000
Cristobal Del Solar / Matteo Manassero +20000
Rikuya Hoshino / Kaito Onishi +20000
Patton Kizzire / Ben Kohles +20000
Taylor Montgomery / John Pak +22000
Paul Peterson / Thomas Rosenmueller +22000
Chez Reavie / Brandt Snedeker +22000
David Lipsky / Dylan Wu +25000
Kevin Kisner / Greyson Sigg +25000
Russell Knox / Peter Malnati +25000
Taylor Dickson / Trace Crowe +25000
Will Chandler / Matt NeSmith +27000
Bill Haas / Martin Laird +27000
Ben Taylor / David Skinns +30000
Chesson Hadley / Jonathan Byrd +30000
Robert Streb / Troy Merritt +40000
Camilo Villegas / Luke Donald +50000
Braden Thornberry / Hayden Buckley +50000
