MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS HENRIK STENSON AND GRAEME MCDOWELL TEAM UP FOR ZURICH CLASSIC

Keegan Bradley, another former major winner, partners with high school teammate Jon Curran

 NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 17, 2019)—Henrik Stenson, winner of the Olympic silver medal and The Open Championship in 2016, will partner with Graeme McDowell in this year’s Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“Both these players have years of experience in Ryder Cup competition, so we expect them to be competitive in our team format,” said Worthy.

“Likewise, we welcome Keegan Bradley back to our tournament again, partnered with his former high school teammate Jon Curran,” Worthy said. “They have won twice in unofficial team events, so their games and chemistry seem to complement each other quite well,” said Worthy.

Both Stenson and McDowell are winners of major championships.  Stenson won the 145^thOpen Championship at Royal Troon in 2016 just prior to his success at the Summer Olympics that year when he won the silver medal. McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach for his first victory on the PGA TOUR.

Stenson has won six times on the PGA TOUR, including a World Golf Championship title, The Players Championship and the 2013 TOUR Championship presented by Coca Cola to win the FedExCup that season. He has also claimed 13 international titles.

In 2018 he tied for second in the WGC-HSBC Champions and earned a fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. That year he also finished fifth in the Masters, tied for sixth in the U.S. Open and won all three of his matches in the Ryder Cup.

This season his best finish was a tie for ninth in the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.

In addition to playing on five Ryder Cup teams, Stenson also made four World Cup teams and three Royal Trophy squads. He was 3-0 in the 2018 Ryder Cup won by the European team. He is currently ranked 38^thin the world.

Stenson and Rose tied for 19^thin last year’s Zurich Classic, won by Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy. That tournament was the first on the PGA Tour to feature walk-up music selected by the players on the first tee during the weekend.

Partnered with Ian Poulter, McDowell finished 22^ndin last year’s Zurich Classic. McDowell’s best finish in the Zurich Classic was a tie for 15^thin 2006 after starting the tournament with a 64 in the first round to take the early lead.

McDowell won the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in March, his fourth PGA TOUR victory, to go with eight international titles he has won. He also finished seventh in the Valero Texas Open the week before the Masters.

He has played on four Ryder Cup teams, compiling a record of 8-5-2. He also played on five World Cup teams and competed for the Seve Cup twice.

As an amateur, he helped Great Britain and Ireland retain the Walker Cup in 2001 at Sea Island, Ga. At the University of Alabama-Birmingham, McDowell was ranked the top collegiate golfer in the United States, winning the 2002 Fred Haskins Award.

Bradley won the 2011 PGA Championship in his first year on the PGA TOUR, when he was named Rookie of the Year. He also won the Byron Nelson Championship that year and teamed with Brendan Steele to win the unofficial Franklin Templeton Shootout.

Bradley’s best finish in the Zurich Classic was a tie for eighth in 2014. His best finishes this season include a sixth in the World Golf Championships-HCBC Champions and a tie for tenth in the WGC-Mexico Championship.

He has won four times on the PGA TOUR, most recently last year’s BMW Championship in the 2018 FedExCup playoffs. In addition, he was won the CVS Health Charity Classic three times, twice with his Zurich Classic partner and high school teammate Jon Curran.

He made the U.S. Ryder Cup team twice, compiling a record of 4-1 in team matches.  He also played on the Presidents Cup team once. He is currently ranked 33^rdin the world.

Curran was the top-ranked player on the Hopkinton High School team with his good friend Bradley ranked second. They were part of the team that won the Massachusetts state championship in Bradley’s senior year by 28 strokes.

Curran went on to earn All-SEC and All-American honors at Vanderbilt in 2008-09 before turning pro. He enjoyed two solid years on the PGA TOUR in 2015-2016, losing playoffs for the 2015 Puerto Rico Open and the 2016 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide.

In 2017, a rib injury sidelined him all the way through the current season, so the Zurich Classic will be his first start on the PGA TOUR in 2019.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format two years ago, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR. In 2018, the tournament field included six of the top ten players in the world; all four reigning major champions; the U.S. Ryder Cup captain and six members of the U.S. team along with the European Ryder Cup captain with four of his co-captains and six players on the victorious European team.

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 helped to raise more than $37 million to date for children’s charities in metro New Orleans and Baton Rouge. 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 22-28, 2019 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2019 totals $7.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,051,200.

Single-day grounds tickets are only $35 and weekly passes are $85. Single day tickets for the two most popular hospitality venues on the PGA TOUR start at $85 for Acme Oyster House and $185 for The Champions Club.  Other choices of suite and specialty venue options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.