2022 CHAMPIONS PATRICK CANTLAY AND XANDER SCHAUFFELE RETURN TO THE ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

schauffele is ranked 5^th in the world; Cantlay is 7^th

 EW ORLEANS, LA (April 4, 2024)—Patrick Cantlay, the 2021 FedExCup winner currently ranked seventh in the world, will pair with 2020 Olympic gold medal winner Xander Schauffele, ranked fifth in the world, to compete for another Zurich Classic title, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

Cantlay and Schauffele won the Zurich Classic in 2022 and tied for fourth in last year’s tournament, won by Davis Riley and Nick Hardy with a record score of 30-under-par.

“Patrick and Xander are two of the best players in the world,” said Worthy. “They have partnered successfully in both Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup competitions, and they won our tournament before, so we expect them to be among the favorites here this year,” Worthy added.

The pair won the 2022 Zurich Classic by two strokes over the team of Billy Horschel and LSU’s Sam Burns. Cantlay and Schauffele led after every round of that year’s tournament. They posted a tournament record first-round score of 59 in four-ball (better ball) to set the pace and went into the last day of competition five strokes ahead of the field. They also set the alternate shot record of 63 in the 2023 Zurich Classic.

In the 2022 President Cup competition, both Cantlay and Schauffele posted 3-1 records  for the winning American team. In the 2021 Ryder Cup, they won both matches when they were teamed together. Cantlay went undefeated in team play that year, halved his singles match and tied Collin Morikawa for second most points scored by an American player. Schauffele was 3-1 himself, losing only his singles match on Sunday.

In the 2023 Ryder Cup, both scored points for the American team, even in a losing cause.

Cantlay won the FedExCup in 2021 and earned the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year on the strength of taking four titles in 2020-21: the ZOZO Championship, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, BMW Championship and the Tour Championship.

He was the only player on the PGA Tour to win more than twice that season and recorded seven total top-10s, making the cut in 19 of 24 starts. He won the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship back-to-back in the FedExCup Playoffs to take the 2021 crown.

In 2022, he successfully defended the BMW Championship in the FedExCup Playoffs. In addition to his two wins in 2022, he also posted three seconds, a third and a total of 12 top 10 finishes, winning a career-best $9,369,605 for the season. Two of his second-place finishes were playoffs.

In 2023, he scored ten top-10 finishes, including two seconds, two thirds and two fourths.

He earned his Tour card in 2017 when he made the cut in all 13 starts to fulfill his Major Medical Extension. Since going full time on the Tour, he was won eight titles in only seven full seasons.

His storied amateur career was highlighted by being named winner of the Fred Haskins Award in 2011 as the nation’s top collegiate player as well as the Jack Nicklaus Award as the Division I Player of the Year. He also won the Mark H. McCormack Medal in 2011 as the top-ranked amateur in the world.

He earned a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team in 2011 and went 2-1-1 in his four matches. He played collegiately for UCLA, where he earned All-American honors as a freshman and was named PAC-10 Golfer of the Year. Prior to college, he won the 2010 California High School State Championship. Cantlay was the number one amateur in the world before turning pro, holding the top spot for a record 55 weeks.

Schauffele has won seven times since joining the PGA Tour full time in 2017. He won the Tour Championship his rookie year in 2017 and has since finished no worse than a tie for seventh in the season-ending tournament. He was the first rookie in the FedExCup era to win the Tour Championship.

He was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2017 and has made the Tour Championship every year since then.

This season, he has scored no fewer than six top-10 finishes in eight tournaments he has entered. Most recently, he tied for second in The Players Championship, then tied for fifth in the Valspar Championship the next week. He started the season fast with a tie for tenth in The Sentry, followed by a tie for third in The American Express and a tie for ninth the next week in the Farmers Insurance Open. He also posted a tie for fourth in The Genesis Invitational and currently ranks fourth in FedExCup points.

In addition to his victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2022, he also won the Travelers Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open.

In last year’s FedExCup Playoffs, he tied for third in the BMW Championship and placed fourth in the Tour Championship. Altogether, he took nine top-10 finishes during the season including his fourth at the Zurich Classic with Cantlay.

He tied for second in the 2019 Masters and has never finished worse than tied for 14^th in the six U.S. Open tournaments he has played. He also tied for second in the 2018 Open Championship.

In addition to his win and tie for fourth in the last two Zurich Classic events, he also finished tied for 11^th in the 2021 tournament, paired for the first time with Patrick Cantlay. In 2017, Schauffele finished tied for 11^th in the Zurich Classic teamed with Tag Ridings, when Cantlay finished one stroke behind in a tie for 14^th playing with Patrick Reed.

At the 2020 Olympics played in 2021 in Tokyo, Schauffele held the outright lead after the second and third rounds before making a par at the 72nd hole to secure a one-stroke victory and the gold medal.

He earned All-American honors playing for San Diego State University in 2014-15 and was 2014 California State Amateur champion.

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 and several charitable golf tournaments.

In 2023, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated a record $2.843 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas. Charitable contributions have been rising in recent years:

• Over $2.843 Million to charities in 2023
• Over $20 Million to charities in last 10 years
• Over $48 Million to charities since inception

More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.

About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:

Zurich Insurance has sponsored the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for 20 years, one of the longest title sponsor relationships on the PGA Tour. 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.

The Zurich Classic has over a $40 million economic impact to the regional economy. With 42 hours of total television coverage on Golf Channel and CBS, a total of 13 million viewers tuned in to watch the tournament.

Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is available across 148 countries and territories via local broadcast partners, and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the days of professional competition.

The tournament will be played April 24-28, 2024, at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2024 totals a record $8.9 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,286,050 and 400 FedExCup points.

All tickets to the 2024 Zurich Classic will be mobile entry only. 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, and the Walk-On’s Stadium Club will offer close-up viewing at the 17^th hole in the only two-story, air-conditioned tent on the course. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com