Activities Sports & Athletics Zurich Classic of New Orleans Golf Tournament Fact and figures - plus trivia - about the PGA Tour tournament Share PINTEREST Email Print Cameron Smith (left) and Jonas Blixt celebrate victory in the 2017 Zurich Classic, the first after the tournament switched to a team format. Marianna Massey/Getty Images Sports & Athletics Golf Golf Tournaments Basics History Gear Golf Courses Famous Golfers Baseball Basketball Bicycling Billiards Bodybuilding Bowling Boxing Car Racing Cheerleading Cricket Extreme Sports Football Gymnastics Ice Hockey Martial Arts Professional Wrestling Skateboarding Skating Paintball Soccer Swimming & Diving Table Tennis Tennis Track & Field Volleyball Other Activities Learn More by Brent Kelley Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. Updated August 12, 2019 This tournament has been around for a long time, and been known by many different names. But there has always been one constant: New Orleans. Now called the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the tournament was first played in 1938. With the exception of a gap in the 1940s and '50s, this event has been played ever since in the Crescent City. Switch to Team FormatThe Zurich Classic switched from stroke play to a team format beginning in 2017. The 2-man teams play two rounds of foursomes and two rounds of fourball, with a cut from 80 teams to 35 teams following the second round. When the switch happened, the tournament became the first official PGA Tour event since the 1981 Walt Disney World National Team Championship to use a team format. The schedule is this: Round 1: Best ball (aka, fourball)Round 2: Alternate shot (aka, foursomes)Round 3: Best ballRound 4: Alternate shot Not sure about those formats? See: How to play foursomesHow to play fourball 2020 Tournament When: April 23-26, 2020Where: TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La. 2019 Zurich Classic The team of Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer won the tournament by a stroke. Rahm/Palmer carded three rounds of 65 or better before a 69 in the final round. They finished at 26-under 262, one better than runners-up Sergio Garcia/Tommy Fleetwood. 2018 TournamentThe team of Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy eked out a one-stroke victory. They did it by birdying the first two holes of the back nine during the alternate-shot final round, then parring the final seven holes. Official Web site PGA Tour tournament site PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans Records: Overall: Team format - 261, Jonas Blixt/Cameron Smith, 2017. Individual stroke play - 262, Chip Beck, 1988Tournament course record at TPC Louisiana: Team format - 60, Kevin Kisner/Scott Brown, 2017; Tryone van Aswegen/Retief Goosen, 2017. Individual stroke play - 62, Ben Martin, 2014 PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans Golf Courses: The tournament's current home is TPC Louisiana, one of the PGA Tour-owned TPC courses. The Zurich Classic moved to TPC Louisiana in 2005, but the event was forced off the course in 2006 due to damage from Hurricane Katrina. It returned in 2007. The tournament's host courses in its history are: City Park Golf Club, New Orleans - 1938-46, 1948, 1958-62Lakewood Country Club, New Orleans - 1963-1988English Turn Golf & Country Club, New Orleans - 1989-2004, 2006TPC Louisiana, Avondale - 2005, 2007-present PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans Trivia and Notes: "Lighthorse" Harry Cooper won the first playing of this tournament, in 1938 when it was named the Greater New Orleans Open Invitational.What is now the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has had many different names over its long history. In chronological order, this event has been known as the Greater New Orleans Open Invitational, First NBC New Orleans Open, Greater New Orleans Open, USF&G New Orleans Open, USF&G Classic, Freeport McMoran Classic, Freeport-McDermott Classic, Compaq Classic of New Orleans, HP Classic of New Orleans, and Zurich Classic of New Olreans. Whew!Billy Casper won the New Orleans tournament twice, the first time in 1958 (when be beat Ken Venturi in a playoff) and the second time in 1975 - a 17-year gap between victories. That 1975 win was the last of Casper's 51 PGA Tour victories.Jack Nicklaus had three runner-up finishes in New Orleans (1964, 1967, 1972) before getting his only win here in 1973, when he defeated Miller Barber in a playoff.Lee Trevino won the 1974 event with a score of 21-under 267 that included zero bogeys. It is the most-recent time any player has played a 72-hole tournament on the PGA Tour without making a bogey. There are four back-to-back winners in tournament history: Byron Nelson, 1945-46; Bo Wininger, 1962-63; Tom Watson, 1980-81; Carlos Franco, 1999-2000. The tournament had two different names for Watson's wins. It was the Greater New Orleans Open in 1980, then the USF&G New Orleans Open in 1981.The last time a player made the cut on the number and went on to win a PGA Tour event was the 2006 Zurich Classic, where Chris Couch did it.K.J. Choi's win in 2002 was his first career victory on the PGA Tour.From 2002 through 2007, five of the six tournament winners earned their first victories on the PGA Tour (K.J. Choi, 2002; Steve Flesch, 2003; Tim Petrovic, 2005; Chris Couch, 2006; Nick Watney, 2007).At the 2013 tournament, 14-year-old Chinese amateur Tianlang Guan made the cut. He was the second-youngest golfer ever to make a PGA Tour cut - trailing only himself, two weeks earlier at the 2013 Masters. PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans Winners: (p-playoff; w-weather shortened; the tournament has a team format since 2017, individual stroke play prior to that) Zurich Classic of New Orleans2019 - Jon Rahm/Ryan Palmer, 2622018 - Billy Horschel/Scott Piercy, 2662017 - Jonas Blixt/Cameron Smith, 2612016 - Brian Stuard-p-w, 2012015 - Justin Rose, 2662014 - Seung-Yul Noh, 2692013 - Billy Horschel 2682012 - Jason Dufner-p, 2692011 - Bubba Watson-p, 2732010 - Jason Bohn, 2702009 - Jerry Kelly, 2742008 - Andres Romero, 2752007 - Nick Watney, 2732006 - Chris Couch, 2692005 - Tim Petrovic-p, 275 HP Classic of New Orleans2004 - Vijay Singh, 2662003 - Steve Flesch-p, 267 Compaq Classic of New Orleans2002 - K.J. Choi, 2712001 - David Toms, 2662000 - Carlos Franco-p, 2701999 - Carlos Franco, 269 Freeport-McDermott Classic1998 - Lee Westwood, 2731997 - Brad Faxon, 2721996 - Scott McCarron, 275 Freeport McMoRan Classic1995 - Davis Love III-p, 2741994 - Ben Crenshaw, 2731993 - Mike Standly, 2811992 - Chip Beck, 276 USF&G Classic1991 - Ian Woosnam-p, 2751990 - David Frost, 2761989 - Tim Simpson, 2741988 - Chip Beck, 2621987 - Ben Crenshaw, 2681986 - Calvin Peete, 2691985 - Seve Ballesteros-w, 2051984 - Bob Eastwood, 2721983 - Bill Rogers, 2741982 - Scott Hoch-w, 206 USF&G New Orleans Open1981 - Tom Watson, 270 Greater New Orleans Open1980 - Tom Watson, 273 First NBC New Orleans Open1979 - Hubert Green, 2731978 - Lon Hinkle, 2711977 - Jim Simons, 2731976 - Larry Ziegler, 2741975 - Billy Casper, 271 Greater New Orleans Open Invitational1974 - Lee Trevino, 2671973 - Jack Nicklaus-p, 2801972 - Gary Player, 2791971 - Frank Beard, 2761970 - Miller Barber-p, 2781969 - Larry Hinson-p, 2751968 - George Archer, 2711967 - George Knudson, 2771966 - Frank Beard, 2761965 - Dick Mayer, 2731964 - Mason Rudolph, 2831963 - Bo Wininger, 2791962 - Bo Wininger, 2811961 - Doug Sanders, 2721960 - Dow Finsterwald, 2701959 - Bill Collins, 2801958 - Billy Casper-p, 2781957 - Not played1956 - Not played1955 - Not played1954 - Not played1953 - Not played1952 - Not played1951 - Not played1950 - Not played1949 - Not played1948 - Bob Hamilton, 2801947 - Not played1946 - Byron Nelson, 2771945 - Byron Nelson-p, 2841944 - Sammy Byrd, 2851943 - Not played1942 - Lloyd Mangrum, 2811941 - Henry Picard, 2761940 - Jimmy Demaret, 2861939 - Henry Picard, 2841938 - Harry Cooper, 285 Continue Reading