Billy Horschel and Sam Burns return to New Orleans!
Billy Horschel and Sam Burns will once again team up at the Zurich Classic
World’s second and third ranked players will team for 2022 Zurich Classic
NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 23, 2022)—Collin Morikawa, ranked second in the world, will team with Viktor Hovland, ranked third, in the 2022 Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“These two form the highest ranked partnership to compete since we adopted the team format five years ago,” said Worthy. “They are both incredibly accomplished at a very young age, and both have international team competition experience. We are thrilled to have them back to New Orleans, now as a team,” Worthy added.
“With defending champion Cameron Smith ranked sixth and now Sam Burns moving to tenth, we already have four of the top 10 players in the world in our field,” said Worthy. “And we have more to come,” he predicted.
Morikawa burst on the PGA Tour by earning his temporary card in only his fourth start as a professional in 2019 when he tied for second at the 3M Open after leading at 54 holes. He went on to finish tied for fourth in his next tournament and won the Barracuda Championship two weeks later in his eighth career and sixth professional start at age 22 years, 5 months, 22 days.
He became only the second player to win a major and a WGC title before the age of 25. The other player to accomplish that feat was Tiger Woods.
He won the 2020 PGA Championship in August after the PGA Tour resumed play that year. He then went on to win the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship in February 2021.
Later that season, he won The Open Championship for his second major title in two years. In the 2020-21 season he posted two wins, a second, fourth in the U.S. Open, three ties for seventh, eighth in the PGA Championship and took fourth in the Olympics. He also won the DP World Tour Championship.
So far this season, he has two seconds, two fifths and a seventh place in seven tournaments.
In 61 career PGA Tour starts, he has posted 22 top-ten finishes and 32 top-25s.
In his first Ryder Cup competition last year, he went undefeated, with three wins in team play and a half in singles. He and Patrick Cantlay posted the second highest score totals for the American team at 3.5 points each.
Morikawa was a three-time first team All-American at University of California where he was named 2018 Golfweek Men’s National Player of the Year and earned Pac-12 Player of the Year honors in 2019. He also reached the number one position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
He was named to the 2017 Walker Cup team, the 2017 and 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup squads and won the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy.
Hovland, born and raised in Oslo, Norway, was the first Norwegian golfer to win the
U.S. Amateur in 2018 and the first Norwegian to compete in the Masters the following year. He earned low amateur honors at both the Masters with a tie for 32nd and the U.S. Open, where he finished tied for 12th.
He scored his first PGA Tour victory in the 2020 Puerto Rico Open at 22 years old. He also finished third in the Workday Charity Open and was one of only two rookies that season to make the Tour Championship, where he finished 20th.
He went on to win the Mayakoba Golf Classic in December, then fired up a hot streak early in 2021. In three consecutive tournaments, he tied for second in the Farmers Insurance Open, tied for fifth in the Genesis Invitational and tied for second in the WGC-Workday Championship. He teamed with fellow Norwegian Kris Ventura in the 2021 Zurich Classic and finished 25th.
This season he has won twice: the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba where he defended his title from the year before; and the Hero World Challenge, when he came back from a six-shot deficit to win and deny Morikawa the world’s number one ranking.
In addition to his three PGA Tour titles, he has also won twice internationally at the 2021 BMW International Open and the 2022 Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic. He played on the 2021 European Ryder Cup team that fell to the Americans at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
He has made the cut in all four majors he has played, with a tie for 12th and a tie for 13th in the U.S. Open. In 63 starts on the PGA Tour, he has totaled 33 top-25 and 15 top-10 finishes.
Hovland played on the Arnold Palmer Cup team in 2017 and 2018 and won the Eisenhower Trophy for amateurs in 2016 and 2018. He represented Norway in the 2020 Olympics, finishing 14th.
In his three seasons at Oklahoma State, he was a two-time first-team All-American and three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection. After his junior year, he was named Big 12 Player of the Year, won the Ben Hogan Award and reached the number one spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The 2022 Zurich Classic field is shaping up to be one of the strongest ever.
Cameron Smith, who won The Players Championship and vaulted to 6th in the world, will team again with fellow Australian Marc Leishman to defend the title they won last year at the Zurich Classic. Smith is the only two-time team winner of the Zurich Classic.
In addition, the 2022 field includes the team of Billy Horschel, who is vying to become the first three-time winner in the tournament’s history, and Sam Burns, whose repeat victory in the Valspar Classic moved him up to 10th in the world rankings.
In 2021, after cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.3 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
Because of its popularity, the Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2022, along with expanded suite options at the 17th and 18th holes. A new Walk-On’s Stadium Club venue will also be introduced.
About Fore!Kids Foundation:
Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has distributed more than $42 million since inception, providing healthcare, education and hope for over 200,000 children each year. More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.
About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.
The tournament will be played April 18-24, 2022 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2022 totals a record $8.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,199,350.
Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.
Former Zurich Classic winner Bubba Watson will team with Harold Varner III in 2022 Zurich Classic
NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 22, 2022)—Bubba Watson, two-time Masters champion and winner of the 2011 Zurich Classic, will team with Harold Varner III in this year’s event, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“Bubba is always an exciting player to watch, and he has a tremendous following in New Orleans.,” said Worthy. “Harold is one of the emerging young stars on the Tour and is a fan favorite. We would expect this team to attract very large crowds,” Worthy added.
Watson is indeed one of the most dynamic and popular players on the PGA Tour with 12 wins in his career. So far this season, he has only played three tournaments with his best finish being a tie for 14th at the WM Phoenix Open.
Paired with Scottie Scheffler, he finished eighth in the 2021 Zurich Classic. He also recorded three other top-10 finishes during the 2020-21 season. He closed out 2021 with a tie for ninth in the 2021 QBE Shootout, teamed with LPGA star Lexi Thompson. Theirs was the only co-ed team in the event.
He ranks 14th in all-time TOUR winnings with more than $47.6 million in prize money. Lifetime, he has scored 14 second-place finishes, six thirds and 73 top-tens in the 361 PGA Tour events he has played.
In addition to his win at the Zurich Classic in 2011, he also finished fifth in the 2007 tournament and tied for 15th in 2013. His tie for fifth with J. B. Holmes in the 2017 event was his best finish in the 2016-17 season.
He won the Masters in 2012 and 2014, finished tied for 12th in 2019 and tied for fifth in 2018. In other majors, he tied for fifth in the 2007 U.S. Open and lost a three-way, three-hole playoff to Martin Kaymer in the 2010 PGA Championship.
He has played on two President’s Cup teams and four Ryder Cup teams.
In 2015, he donated $100,000 to assist with recovery efforts after the devastating floods in Louisiana. Watson is part owner of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, and opened a candy store in Pensacola called “Bubbas’s Sweet Shop” where his mom Molly sometimes works.
Varner is currently ranked 40th in the world. He has recorded three top-20 finishes this season, with a tie for sixth in The Players Championship. Last season he tied for second at the RBC Heritage, where he fired four rounds in the 60s. He has qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs for six consecutive seasons.
He has won two international titles, the 2016 Australian PGA and the 2022 PIF Saudi International.
Playing collegiately at East Carolina University, he was named Conference USA Player of the Year in 2012 and made the all-conference team three times.
His head cover is named “Gerald” and has its own Twitter account.
Cameron Smith, who won The Players Championship and vaulted to 6th in the world, will team again with fellow Australian Marc Leishman to defend the title they won last year at the Zurich Classic. Smith is the only two-time team winner of the Zurich Classic.
In addition, the 2022 field includes the team of Billy Horschel, who is vying to become the first three-time winner in the tournament’s history, and Sam Burns, whose repeat win in the Valspar Classic moved him up to 10th in the world rankings.
In 2021, after cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.3 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
Because of its popularity, the Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2022, along with expanded suite options at the 17th and 18th holes. A new Walk-On’s Stadium Club venue will also be introduced.
About Fore!Kids Foundation:
Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has distributed more than $42 million since inception, providing healthcare, education and hope for over 200,000 children each year. More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.
About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.
The tournament will be played April 18-24, 2022 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2022 totals a record $8.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,199,350.
Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.
Pair of South African Major champs partner again for 2022 Zurich Classic after nearly winning last year
Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel made playoff for title in 2021 after a third place in the 2018 Zurich Classic
NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 18, 2022)—Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, who have both won a major title each and lost the 2021 Zurich Classic in a playoff, will team again for the 2022 event, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“Obviously, Louis and Charl have played well here as a team,” said Worthy. “Their first partnership here in 2018 resulted in a third-place finish, and they nearly won our tournament last year,” added Worthy.
The two South African players have each won 13 international titles. Schwartzel won the Masters in 2011 and Oosthuizen took The Open Championship in 2010.
Oosthuizen, is ranked 13th in the world. In addition to his Open Championship in 2010 at St. Andrews, and he has lost two playoffs for other major titles, to Bubba Watson in the 2012 Masters and to Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman in The 2015 Open Championship.
In the final round of the 2012 Masters, he scored an albatross on the second hole of Augusta National Golf Club. This was only the fourth ever albatross in Masters history, and the first to be televised.
During his career, he has demonstrated a particular affinity for major championships. Last season he took second in the U.S. Open and tied for second in the PGA Championship. He finished third in the 2020 U.S. Open, played in September of that year when the Tour returned to play in the fall.
He also tied for second in the 2015 U.S. Open and the 2017 PGA Championship, becoming one of only seven players in PGA Tour history to be a runner-up in all four majors. The others include Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Craig Wood. In his career, Oosthuizen has finished second six times in major tournaments and 12 overall on the PGA Tour in his career.
Oosthuizen has played on the last four International Presidents Cup teams, compiling a 9-6-4 record overall. He ranks seventh among international players for points won in the President Cup competitions.
Schwartzel won the 2011 Masters title 50 years after fellow South African Gary Player became the first international winner of the green jacket.
In his career, Schwartzel has placed in the top 25 a total of 90 times on the PGA TOUR since 2005. In addition to his Masters title, he won the 2016 Valspar Championship. He has won another 13 tournaments on the European, Asian and South African tours.
Schwartzel has made four Presidents Cup teams and the 2011 World Cup team with Oosthuizen. In the 2011 Presidents Cup matches, he was one of four rookies on the International the team and went 3-1-1 in a losing cause against the Americans.
Cameron Smith, who won The Players Championship and vaulted to 6th in the world, will team again with fellow Australian Marc Leishman to defend the title they won last year at the Zurich Classic. Smith is the only two-time team winner of the Zurich Classic.
In 2021, after cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.3 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
Because of its popularity, the Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2022, along with expanded suite options at the 17th and 18th holes. A new Walk-On’s Stadium Club venue will also be introduced.
About Fore!Kids Foundation:
Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has distributed more than $42 million since inception, providing healthcare, education and hope for over 200,000 children each year. More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.
About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.
The tournament will be played April 18-24, 2022 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2022 totals a record $8.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,199,350.
Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.
Two-time Zurich Classic winner Billy Horschel will team again with former LSU star Sam Burns in 2022 tournament
Both players are ranked in the top 20 in the world
NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 15, 2022)—Billy Horschel, the only player to claim both individual and team titles at the Zurich Classic, will again pair with two-time PGA Tour winner and former LSU All-American Sam Burns in this year’s tournament, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“Billy will be going for an unprecedented third victory at the Zurich Classic,” said Worthy. “They have good experience playing together, as they finished second by one stroke as a team in last year’s QBE Shootout and fourth in our tournament,” Worthy added.
Horschel is ranked 16th in the world and Burns is right behind him at 17th.
Horschel has won six times on the PGA Tour and is the only player to win both an individual and a team title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He scored his first career Tour victory in 2013 at the Zurich Classic.
He followed up his first win with one of the best closing stretches in PGA Tour history in the 2014 FedExCup Playoffs. He finished second in the Deutsche Bank Championship, then went on to win the BMW Championship and capped the playoffs with a win at the Tour Championship by Coca Cola to take the overall FedExCup.
At 27, he became the youngest winner of the FedExCup. His final round of 68 in the Tour Championship was his 12th consecutive round in the 60s, the longest streak of sub-70 rounds in PGA Tour history.
In 2018, Horschel teamed with Scott Piercy to win the Zurich Classic again. Team Horschel beat the team of Pat Perez and Jason Dufner (himself a former Zurich Classic winner) by one stroke.
As an amateur, he was a three-time first-team All-American at the University of Florida. He was named to the 2007 and 2008 Arnold Palmer teams and the winning 2007 Walker Cup squad that included Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Webb Simpson. Horschel posted a 3-1 record in that year’s competition, helping the U.S. squad to a narrow one-point victory.
Sam Burns held the lead in four different tournaments last season before breaking through with a win at the 2021 Valspar Championship. He had tied for fourth in the Zurich Classic with Horschel the week before his maiden win at Valspar.
He nearly won last year’s World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational before losing in a three-person playoff.
He then started this season with a victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship. So far this season, he has tied for fifth in the CJ Cup Summit, tied for seventh at the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open and tied for ninth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
In his short PGA Tour career, he has recorded 18 top-10 finishes in only 95 starts.
He has qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs each year since he joined the PGA Tour but was unable to compete in the 2019 series due to a wrist injury. Before that, he scored three top-10 finishes in his first full season on the Tour.
In the shortened 2020 season, he finished tied for sixth at the American Express and took two more top-20 finishes to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs.
Playing for LSU, Burns made first-team All-American in 2016-17 and was named Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year in the NCAA. He represented the United States on the winning Arnold Palmer Cup team in 2017.
A prodigy of former LSU great and Zurich Classic champion David Toms, Burns was honored by the AJGA as Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 2014.
The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.
Cameron Smith, who this week won The Players Championship and vaulted to 6th in the world, will team again with fellow Australian Marc Leishman to defend the title they won last year at the Zurich Classic. Smith is the only two-time team winner of the Zurich Classic.
In 2021, after cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.3 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
Because of its popularity, the Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2022, along with expanded suite options at the 17th and 18th holes. A new Walk-On’s Stadium Club venue will also be introduced.
About Fore!Kids Foundation:
Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has distributed more than $42 million since inception, providing healthcare, education and hope for over 200,000 children each year. More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.
About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.
The tournament will be played April 18-24, 2022 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2022 totals a record $8.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,199,350.
Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.
Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman will defend their Zurich Classic title for a record $8.3 million purse
NEW ORLEANS, LA (February 16, 2022)—Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman will return this year to defend their title, as the Zurich Classic will offer a record $8.3 million purse, announced Steve Worthy, Fore!Kids Foundation CEO and tournament director.
The tournament will be played April 18-24, 2022 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. The record $8.3 million purse will earn each member of the winning team $1,199,350.
This year’s purse is nearly a million dollars more than last year’s. After the 2020 tournament was canceled, the 2021 event generated a record $2.3 million in contributions to children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
“Cameron was ranked in the top ten in the world until this week on the strength of an excellent season last year and a victory in the opening event this year,” said Worthy. “Marc has also played very well of late, with a tie for third and fourth in the first two events of the fall season, so we expect they will make a very strong defense of their title,” Worthy added.
Australians Leishman and Smith defeated South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel in a playoff for the 2021 Zurich Classic title. It was Smith’s second team title at the Zurich Classic, which he won also in a playoff in 2017, the first year of the team format.
Smith won the opening tournament of 2022, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, setting a PGA Tour record for lowest score under par at -34. He is currently ranked 11th in the world, vaulting from 22nd at the end of the 2020-21 season, and eighth in FedExCup standings. He has won three times on the PGA Tour in the last two years following his maiden victory at the Zurich Classic in 2017. In his home country, he won the Australian PGA Championship in consecutive years 2017-18.
He partnered with Leishman in the 2018 ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf and brought his team within two strokes of the win when he holed out for birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-5 14th hole of the match.
He also played on the 2019 Presidents Cup team that lost to the U.S. on the last day in Melbourne.
Leishman has won six times on the PGA Tour, with one title each in the last three seasons. He is currently ranked 35th in the world and 24th in FedExCup. He has qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs 13 consecutive seasons.
He has played on the International Presidents Cup team in the last four competitions. Both he and Cameron Smith represented Australia in the 2020 Olympics.
Leishman was voted Rookie of the Year in 2009 to become the first Australian to win that honor on the PGA Tour.
In 2015, he withdrew from the Masters to be with his wife, who made what was called a
“miraculous” recovery from a series of infections that put her into a coma. He returned to the PGA Tour at the Zurich Classic that year, finishing tied for 28th.
The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.
In 2021, after cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.3 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
Because of its popularity, the Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2022, along with expanded suite options at the 17th and 18th holes. A new Walk-On’s Stadium Club venue will also be introduced.
About Fore!Kids Foundation:
Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has distributed more than $42 million since inception, providing healthcare, education and hope for over 200,000 children each year. More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.
About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.
The tournament will be played April 18-24, 2022 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2022 totals a record $8.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,199,350.
Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.
Fore!Kids Foundation and Zurich Classic distributes record $2.3 million to children’s charities
NEW ORLEANS, LA (January 13, 2022)—Following the cancellation of the 2020 event and despite spectator limitations, enthusiastic golf fans and sponsors returned to the Zurich Classic in 2021, generating an all-time record of $2.3 million distributed to local and regional children’s charities, announced Steve Worthy, Foundation CEO and tournament director.
“We are blessed to have such a supportive title sponsor and partner in Zurich Insurance Group, and we are so gratified that excited fans came out to watch the world’s greatest golfers play in our team format,” said Worthy. “Through the dedication and commitment of our members and volunteers, we were proud to be able to operate a safe and effective event, and set a new record give to our charities,” Worthy added.
Australians Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith defeated South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel in a playoff for the 2021 title. It was Smith’s second team title at the Zurich Classic, which he won also in a playoff in 2017, the first year of the team format.
This week, Smith won the Sentry Tournament of Champions, setting a PGA Tour record for lowest score under par at -34.
“We were pleased to have so many new event attendees and were very happy with their positive feedback. Many fans took advantage of our new Best of the Zurich Classic pass, which combined our previous Fidelity Bank Champions Club and Acme Oyster House venues featuring the city’s best restaurants, with on-course oases that gave pass holders multiple locations to visit throughout the course on a single ticket,” Worthy said.
Because of its popularity, the Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2022, along with expanded suite options at the 17th and 18th holes. A new Walk-On’s Stadium Club venue will also be introduced.
This year Fore!Kids Foundation distributed major contributions to nine designated Signature Charities:
Children’s Hospital of New Orleans
St. Michael Special School
Educare of New Orleans
First Tee of Greater New Orleans
First Tee of East Baton Rouge Parish
Bayou District Foundation
Louisiana Hospitality Foundation
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana
“We are thankful to have Fore!Kids Foundation as a partner for our Clubs in Metro Louisiana,” said Angel Nelson, Interim CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana. “Together, through this partnership, we will continue to focus on our vision of serving more youth while creating an Optimal Club Experience where all Club members reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”
In addition, the Fore!Kids Foundation distributed grants to a number of community organizations that applied through the Foundation’s application process. They included:
50 Legs in 50 Days
826 New Orleans
A’s and Aces
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Greater New Orleans
Boys Town Louisiana
Brave Heart – Children in Need
Breakthrough New Orleans
Caps for Kids
CASA Jefferson
CASA New Orleans
Catholic Charities – Cornerstone Kids
Children’s Advocacy Center – Hope House
Children’s Bureau of New Orleans
Children’s Museum of St. Tammany
Communities in Schools Gulf South
Covenant House New Orleans
Excite All Stars
FIRST Louisiana Mississippi
Foundation for Woman’s
Friends Helping Kids
Golden Meadow Lions Club
Good Shepard School
James Samaritan
Jewish Children’s Regional Service
JoJo’s Hope
Lighthouse Louisiana
Live Oak Camp
Louisiana Pulmonary Disease Camp – Camp Pelican
Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation
Make Music Nola
McMain’s Children’s Development Center
Muscular Dystrophy Association of Southeast Louisiana
New Orleans Speech and Hearing Center
Plaquemines Community Care Centers Foundation
PlayBuild Nola
Prescription Joy
Raintree Children and Family Services
Raphael Academy
Son of a Saint
Special Olympics Louisiana
St. Lillian Academy
St. Mary’s Residential Training School
St. Therese Academy
STAIR
StemNOLA
Sunshine Kids
The Bright School for the Deaf
The Chartwell Center
The Emerge School Center
The Roots of Music
Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans
WRBH
YMCA of Greater New Orleans
Youth Empowerment Project
Youth Service Bureau of St. Tammany
The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.
About Fore!Kids Foundation:
Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has distributed more than $42 million since inception, providing healthcare, education and hope for over 200,000 children each year. More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.
In 2021, after cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.3 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.
The tournament will be played April 18-24, 2022 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2022 totals $8.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,199,350.
Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.
2021 Zurich Classic Champions!
Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman return to defend their title.
Pair of South African Major winners partner again for 2021 Zurich Classic
Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel took third place in the 2018 Zurich Classic
NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 12, 2021)—Two South African players, both winners of a major each and both with 13 international titles each, will enter as a team again in the 2021 Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel have both won major championships and they have both enjoyed great success internationally,” said Worthy. “Their first partnership here in 2018 resulted in a third place finish, and they have great history from numerous Presidents Cup appearances together,” added Worthy.
Charl Schwartzel won the Masters in 2011 and Louis Oosthuizen took The Open Championship in 2010.
They placed third as a team in the 2018 Zurich Classic, one of three teams of major champions that year in the field (Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson, Jim Furyk/David Duval).
Schwartzel won his Masters title 50 years after fellow South African Gary Player became the first international winner of the green jacket. Schwartzel tied for 25th in this year’s Masters.
In his career, Schwartzel has placed in the top 25 a total of 83 times on his PGA TOUR since 2005. In addition to his 2011 Masters title, he won the 2016 Valspar Championship. He has won another 13 tournaments on the European, Asian and South African tours.
His appearances since 2019 have been limited due to a wrist injury. He is currently playing the Tour this season still on a Major Medical Exemption.
Schwartzel has made four Presidents Cup teams and the 2011 World Cup team with Oosthuizen. In the 2011 Presidents Cup matches, he was one of four rookies on the International the team and went 3-1-1 in a losing cause against the Americans.
Oosthuizen, ranked 31st in the world, has won a single major title, The Open Championship in 2010 at St. Andrews. But he has lost two playoffs for other major titles, to Bubba Watson in the 2012 Masters and to Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman in The 2015 Open Championship.
During his career, he has demonstrated a particular affinity for major championships. This season he finished third in the September U.S. Open, his fourth top-10 finish in that event.
He also tied for second in the 2015 U.S. Open and the 2017 PGA Championship, becoming one of only seven players in PGA TOUR history to be a runner-up in all four majors. The others include Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Craig Wood. Norman and Wood lost playoffs in each of the four major tournaments.
So far this season, his best finishes have been a tie for sixth in the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship to go along with his third at the U.S. Open. He also finished tied for 11th at the Waste Management Open.
Oosthuizen has played on the last four International Presidents Cup teams, compiling a 7-4-3 record overall. He ranks seventh among international players for points won in the President Cup competitions.
The Zurich Classic field so far includes half of the top 10 ranked players in the world.
Oosthuizen and Schwartzel join several high profile teams previously announced to play the 2021 Zurich Classic including:
- Defending champion Jon Rahm, ranked 3rd in the world, with Ryan Palmer, ranked 28th.
- Collin Morikawa, ranked 4th in the world, with Matthew Wolff, ranked 25th.
- Xander Schauffele, ranked 5th in the world, with Patrick Cantlay, ranked 10th.
- Tyrrell Hatton, ranked 8th in the world, with fellow Englishman and former Master winner Danny Willett.
- Billy Horschel, ranked 18th in the world, with former LSU All-American Sam Burns.
- Tony Finau, ranked 12th in the world with Cameron Champ.
The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.
Aussie duo Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman will team up
Cameron Smith was on the first Zurich Classic winning team in 2017 and Marc Leishman has won five times on PGA Tour
NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 8, 2021)—Australian duo Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman will team up to play the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“Cameron is a past team champion in New Orleans and will partner with his Presidents Cup teammate Marc Leishman in this year’s event,” said Worthy. “They know each other’s game well, as they partnered on the 2018 Australian World Cup team,” Worthy added.
Smith, playing with Jonas Blixt, won the first Zurich Classic team event in 2017 in a playoff against Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner.
That was Smith’s first win on the PGA Tour. He went on to win the Australian PGA Championship the same year and then again in 2018, when he beat now-teammate Leishman by two shots. He won his second PGA Tour title at the 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii.
So far this season, Smith has been close to winning again three times, including a tie for second in last fall’s Masters. He also finished fourth in the Genesis Invitational and tied for fourth in the Zozo Championship.
Since becoming a full member of the PGA Tour in 2016, he has scored 21 top-10 finishes in 128 starts.
He partnered with Leishman in the 2018 ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf and brought his team within two strokes of the win when he holed out for birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-5 14th hole of the match.
He also played on the 2019 Presidents Cup team that lost to the U.S. on the last day in Melbourne.
Leishman has won five times on the PGA Tour to go with one European Tour victory and four wins in Australia. In 2015, he lost a playoff to Zach Johnson for The Open Championship.
His best finish this season was a tie for fourth in the Sony Open in Hawaii when teammate Smith was defending champion.
Leishman was voted Rookie of the Year in 2009 to become the first Australian to win that honor on the PGA Tour.
In 2015, he withdrew from the Masters to be with his wife, who made what was called a “miraculous” recovery from a series of infections that put her into a coma. He returned to the PGA Tour at the Zurich Classic that year, finishing tied for 28th.
This will be the first time he has played in the team format of the Zurich Classic. After his tie for 28th in 2015, he finished 20th in the 2016 tournament.
He has played on the last four International Presidents Cup teams and competed on two World Cup teams in 2016 and 2018.
The Zurich Classic field so far includes half of the top 10 ranked players in the world.
Smith and Leishman join several other high profile teams previously announced to play the 2021 Zurich Classic including:
- Defending champion Jon Rahm, ranked 3rd in the world, with Ryan Palmer, ranked 26th.
- Collin Morikawa, ranked 4th in the world, with Matthew Wolff, ranked 23rd.
- Xander Schauffele, ranked 6th in the world, with Patrick Cantlay, ranked 10th.
- Tyrrell Hatton, ranked 8th in the world, with fellow Englishman and former Master winner Danny Willett.
- Billy Horschel, ranked 17th in the world, with former LSU All-American Sam Burns.
- Tony Finau, ranked 13th in the world with Cameron Champ.
The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.
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