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.