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PLAYERS Championship. Additionally, the
PGA of America will include both members of
the winning team in the Tournament Winners
category for the PGA Championship.
FedExCup points and prize money will
be awarded to teams making the cut based
on combining every two positions from the
distribution table for a standard TOUR event,
with each team member receiving an equal share.
For instance, the winning team will evenly split
first and second place FedExCup points (500 for
first and 300 for second for 800 total points, or
400 for each player). Official prize money will be
distributed in the same manner.
“We are thrilled to bring this new format to the
Zurich Classic of New Orleans and to introduce
an annual team event to the PGA TOUR,” said
Andy Pazder, Chief of Operations for the PGA
TOUR. “We have seen the growth of popularity
with the biennial team competitions like the
Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup and World Cup and
the excitement that they produce. We believe the
fans will love to see this sort of competition as a
regular part of our season.”
“Zurich is excited to bring this new format
to the PGA TOUR, and we look forward to the
unique competition and comradery at the Zurich
Classic of New Orleans this spring,” said Mike
Foley, CEO for Zurich North America, which
has sponsored the tournament since 2005.
“There is always excitement about team golf,
and the feedback we’ve gotten from players has
been extremely positive, and I know the fans are
going to love it,” said Steve Worthy, CEO of
the Fore!Kids Foundation, the host organization
for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. “The
pairings opportunities are endless and will be
very interesting. We are looking forward to the
future and continuing our charitable impact on
the lives of children in our region.”
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans dates back
to 1938, when it was introduced as the Greater
New Orleans Open Invitational at City Park
Golf Course. It eventually moved to Lakewood
Country Club in 1963 and then English Turn
Golf & Country Club in 1989. Its first year at the
newly opened TPC Louisiana was 2005. Shortly
thereafter the course sustained considerable
damage from Hurricane Katrina, requiring a
temporary return to English Turn in 2006. The
Zurich Classic of New Orleans was the first
major sporting event that made the commitment
to return to New Orleans following Katrina.