Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will defend their Title at 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Cantlay is ranked 4^th in the world; Schauffele is 7th

 NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 20, 2023)—Patrick Cantlay, the 2021 FedExCup winner currently ranked fourth in the world, will pair with 2020 Olympic gold medal winner Xander Schauffele, ranked seventh, to defend their 2022 Zurich Classic title, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“Patrick and Xander are two of the best players in the world and both are playing at the top of their games right now,” said Worthy. “They’ve partnered successfully at both the 2019 and the 2022 Presidents Cups and the 2021 Ryder Cup, so we expect them to be a formidable team here again in 2023,” Worthy added.

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 Colllin Morikawa for second most points scored by an American player. Schauffele was 3-1 himself, losing only his singles match on Sunday.

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

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.

Last season, 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 January, Cantlay was named one of five Player Directors on the prestigious Player Advisory Council that advises and consults with the PGA Tour policy board and commissioner Jay Monahan on issues affecting the Tour.

So far this season, his best finishes have been a tie for second at the Shriners Children’s Open and a third in the Genesis Invitational.

Cantlay started on the Tour full time in 2017 after missing all of 2016 and nearly all of 2015 with lingering back issues. 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 six full seasons.

As an amateur, he posted a second-round 60 to take the lead in the Travelers Championship. His 60 was the first score that low by an amateur in PGA Tour history.

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.

In addition to his victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last season, 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.

He tied for second in the 2019 Masters, and until last year he never finished worse than tied for seventh in the six U.S. Open tournaments he played. He also tied for second in the 2018 Open Championship.

So far this season, he has posted a tie for third in The American Express, a fourth in the Hero World Challenge and a tie for ninth in the ZOZO Championship.

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, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments.

In 2022, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.7 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 $2.7 Million to charities in 2022
• Over $10 Million to charities in last five years
• Over $45 Million to charities since inception

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

About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:

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 Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2023, along with the excitement of close-up action at the Stadium Club by Walk-On’s overlooking the 17^th hole.

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 17-23, 2023, at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2023 totals a record $8.6 million, with each member of the winning team earning   $1,242,700.

All tickets to the 2023 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 Stadium Club by Walk-On’s will offer close-up viewing at the 17^th hole. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.