The 2025 Zurich Classic began on April 24 at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans. Defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry returned to protect their title in this distinct PGA Tour event.
This tournament stands out due to its team-based format, which combines different playing styles. It alternates between Four Ball (also known as Best Ball) and Foursomes formats.
In the Four Ball format, each player on a team plays their own ball on each hole, and the lower score between the two becomes the team’s score. This approach encourages aggressive, risk-reward plays, and it is used during the first and third rounds.
Foursomes, played during the second and final rounds, involve alternate shots. One teammate tees off on odd-numbered holes while the other tees off on even-numbered holes, and they take turns hitting the same ball until it’s holed.
After the second round, a cut is made to reduce the field to the top 33 teams. If teams are tied after 72 holes, a sudden-death playoff occurs, with teams alternating between Foursome and Four Ball formats on extra holes until a winner is determined.
The tournament has a total prize purse of $9.2 million. Each member of the winning team will earn $1,329,400. Additionally, winners receive 400 FedEx Cup points and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
McIlroy and Lowry teed off for their opening round of Four Ball play at 8:52 a.m. EDT.
Here are the Round 1 Four Ball tee times (Eastern Time):
From the 1st Tee:
8:00 am: Jonathan Byrd & Chesson Hadley, Patrick Fishburn & Zac Blair
8:13 am: Robert Streb & Troy Merritt, Chad Ramey & Justin Lower
…
2:49 pm: Will Chandler & Matt NeSmith, Jeremy Paul & Yannick Paul
3:02 pm: Cristobal Del Solar & Matteo Manassero, Angel Ayora & Alejandro Del Ray
From the 10th Tee:
8:00 am: Rico Hoey & Sam Ryder, Alex Smalley & Joseph Bramlett
8:13 am: J.T. Poston & Keith Mitchell, Ryan Gerard & Danny Walker
…
2:49 pm: Hayden Buckley & Braden Thornberry, Jesper Svennson & Niklas Norgaard
3:02 pm: Pierceson Coody & Jackson Suber, William Mouw & Ricky Castillo
This mix of formats and high-stakes team play makes the Zurich Classic one of the most exciting and unique tournaments on the PGA Tour calendar.