Zurich Classic officials have a good problem on their hands: How do they top last year’s tournament, which, by all accounts, was the best in the event’s history?
Bringing back wildly popular reigning champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry is a good place to start. Adding Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama to this year’s field won’t hurt, either.
The commitments of Morikawa, the world’s No. 4-ranked player, and Kitayama were announced by tournament officials at the Zurich Classic’s annual media day news conference Wednesday.
“Last year was a record year for us, we had so many positive things happen for us,” said tournament director Steve Worthy, the CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, which operates the tournament for the PGA Tour. “We’re in a great place for another big event this year, and the field, as usual, is coming together well. We continue to focus on having the best players in the world here.”
Buoyed by idyllic weather and the exploits of McIlroy and Lowry, the 2024 Zurich set records for attendance, media coverage and proceeds. More than 116,000 fans attended the four-day tournament, and TV viewership for the CBS and Golf Channel broadcasts increased 30% from the previous year.
The presence of McIlroy and Lowry at the April 24-27 tournament should ensure another strong event. McIlroy is ranked No. 2 in the latest World Golf Rankings after his playoff victory at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He also won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year.
Lowry, meanwhile, has ascended to No. 12 in the world rankings after top-10 finishes in the Valspar Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational and 12th-place finish at The Players Championship.
“It’s massive to have them back,” Worthy said. “Both of them are in good form and playing well. Rory moves the needle as much as anyone in golf.”
Morikawa has posted two seconds and a tie for 10th in five tournaments this year. He won the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. He and Kitayama teamed to finish tied for 23rd at last year’s Zurich.
“Collin and Kurt posted some very low scores in the best ball format last year,” Worthy said. “Clearly they are comfortable with each other, and we are excited to have them repeat as partners.”
Commitments from more top players are expected to be announced in the days and weeks ahead as tournament week approaches, Worthy said.
The tournament’s recent success and popularity have forced one major logistical change: Satellite parking for the event has been moved from the John A. Alario Event Center to nearby NOLA Motor Sports Park. The move was made to accommodate the increase in recent attendance, which has created parking and traffic issues that had become “untenable,” Worthy said.
About 60% of parking for the tournament now will take place at the new site, Worthy said. A separate entrance is being constructed for patrons who park there to enter the course near hole No. 3, where the TPC Course abuts the racetrack.
“With great growth comes change,” Worthy said. “We’re confident this will work and improve the experience for our fans.”
Otherwise, there will be few changes to the event. Tyler McCool, course superintendent of TPC Louisiana, said no major changes have been made to the golf course in preparation for this year’s tournament.
The field again will feature 80 two-man teams competing in the 72-hole format with alternating rounds of best ball and alternate shot play. On the line will be a record purse of $9.2 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,329,400 and 400 FedExCup points.
Meanwhile, negotiations with Zurich about an extension of its title sponsorship of the tournament continue in a positive direction. All indications are that the global insurance giant and the PGA Tour will reach an agreement on an extension to its current deal, which is scheduled to expire after the 2026 tournament.
“They love the city, and they love the tournament,” Worthy said of Zurich, which has served as the title sponsor since 2005. “We would like to extend out as far as we can and are very confident in how negotiations are going.”