Rory’s back, but he’s not alone – newly crowned Masters champion McIlroy returns to action at this week’s Zurich Classic alongside close pal Shane Lowry to defend their title.
McIlroy and Lowry won the two man Ryder Cup-style event last year after a play-off which could easily have featured five duos, rather than just two.
That underlines the point that the PGA Tour’s only team event is often wide open, and a few pairings you would usually ignore can rise to the occasion.
That makes the 7-2 for McIlroy and Lowry to retain their crown look extremely short – especially as Rory could still be in celebration mode after finally completing the career Grand Slam.
Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama are the second favourites at 12-1. But they did not pull up any trees when finishing in a share of 23rd out of 40 pairings, so the value has to be lower down the market.
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Zurich Classic betting tips
The pairing that jumps out is the Nico Echavarria & Max Greyserman combination, who can be backed at 33-1. Not bad for a duo who finished tied fourth as rookies a year ago.
Echavarria has quickly become an each way favourite in this column, and has added a second PGA Tour title this year to his breakthrough win in 2024.
Greyserman is still waiting for his first victory. But he has shown more consistency this year after a difficult rookie season. I like their chances of contending, at least.
Garrick Higgo – who denied us a potential 40-1 winner with Alejandro Tosti at the Corales on Sunday – teams up with Ryan Fox again, and they also appeal in the each way market.
They also claimed a share of fourth last year, despite a poor showing in the first of their two foursomes rounds. They should be better acquainted with each other’s strengths now, so 40-1 looks pretty attractive.
Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge – two birdie machines who can also throw in the occasional bad blunder – may be worth a saver at a best-priced 28-1.
And for a real ‘Hail Mary’ the Japanese duo of Ryo Hisatsune and Takumi Kanaya are worth a small interest at 70-1.
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The DP World Tour continues its Asia Swing with the Hainan Classic. It would be no surprise to see the players who have shown in recent weeks continue to dominate the leaderboard.
Impressive Spanish prospect Eugenio Chacarra followed up his victory in India with a share of fourth in last week’s China Open. At 18-1, he looks a good bet for another bold showing.
Japan’s Keita Nakajima, another 18-1 shot was Chacarra’s closest challenger in India. He could be snapping at the Spaniard’s heels again.
Joost Luiten has been threatening to add to his haul of victories, so a 25-1 quote on the Dutch golfer is also tempting.
Brandon Wu showed his best form for a while with a share of tenth last week. He would not have to show too much more improvement to reward each way backers at 70-1.
And Sebastian Garcia’s runner-up finish in the Abu Dhabi Challenge last week may have been at a lower level than this – but a best-priced 275-1 is another one to consider for small stakes.
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