Zurich Classic
Thought you'd never see John Daly and David Duval team up in a PGA Tour event? Think again
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans promises to be an entertaining event if only for the fact it’s the PGA Tour’s lone tournament where players join forces, competing in two-man teams alternating in four-ball and foursomes play over four rounds. And some of those 80 teams are, well, rather interesting pairings.
Case in point: Listed in the field this coming week at TPC Louisiana are the duo of David Duval and John Daly. And, no, it’s not a typo. The former major winners are competing together on a sponsor’s exemption.
Duval, 51, has made four starts on the PGA Tour Champions this season, his best finish a T-31. Outside of the Open Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he hasn’t played a regular PGA Tour event since July 2019.
Daly, 56, played in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship last October, missing the cut. In his three starts on the PGA Tour Champions in 2023, his best showing is a T-38.
Both Duval and Daly played multiple times in this event during their PGA Tour primes. Back then it was an individual stroke-play event and neither, actually, had an incredible record. Duval played 13 times with a third-place showing in 1995. Daly played 11 times, but only finished all 72 holes twice.
OK, so we don’t see these guys hanging with defending champions Patrick Canltay and Xander Schauffele, Cal grads Collin Morikawa and Max Homa, siblings Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick, or Ryder Cup captains Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker. You’ll probably want to catch Thursday and Friday’s rounds if you really want to see them. But we can’t be the only ones at least a little intrigued at the golf they might be able to play.