Value Report: Zurich Classic

You can’t deny that Justin Thomas elicits emotions from the viewers. Whether it’s excitement from being a fan, enthusiasm from his artistry on the course, or a bit of frustration from those who root against, JT fuels the fire. It was a much-needed win for a player of his caliber, as JT was nearing three years without lifting a trophy. I do think the game of golf is in a better spot when we get peak Justin Thomas pushing the rest of the world’s best, so hopefully we see that through the rest of the summer. It was a bummer, though, for Andrew Novak, as his breakout 2025 has been incredibly enjoyable to watch, especially as he shows his personality throughout golf Twitter too. If he continues to put himself in these final groups better than anyone on Tour, that first win will be here before we know it.

I know the thought of rostering Sam Burns sends shivers down our spines, but he quietly had his best finish since the Sentry and scored a plethora of DraftKings points in the run. Davis Thompson was steady as well for a good bit, as was Ryo Hisatsune, whose T18 paid off handsomely at his price point. But without Mackenzie Hughes and/or runner-up Andrew Novak, it wasn’t enough to truly separate in GPPs. Brian Campbell looked like he was on track for another week in contention, but fell come Sunday. At least he wasn’t to the depths of Harris English, who was downright awful all week. Making sure to cover both events, I was overall quite a bit happier with the result in Corales. I’m bummed for Joel Dahmen, but benefiting from the late bogies was Garrick Higgo. I made sure to drop my top exposures for the alternate event in the AMA channel last week, which had plenty of the winning South African but just didn’t get the right value pieces with him. Danny Walker rallied over the weekend, but Harry Higgs missing the cut and William Mouw not showing any short game were definite negatives. We will a few of these opportunities for the opposite-field tournaments, so definitely stay tuned in for those.

Flipping the switch to the Zurich Classic, I’ll be the first to admit that I do like this event. It’s a perfect mix-up from two heavy weeks in a row with The Masters and RBC Heritage, but it simultaneously gives us really cool storylines come Sunday. Also, despite what seems like pure randomness at team events, there still is a strong correlation in salary and finishing position just like a typical event. I studied this hard in last year’s GPP Data Review if you’d like to take a look back. It’s pretty cool, too, that Rory McIlroy is sticking to his commitment to defend his title with Shane Lowry, and DraftKings priced them appropriately, $1,700 clear of the next team. With no Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele pairing, it’s not as top-heavy as years past, but there are still plenty of fun angles to pair the Irishmen with on the low end!

Jeremy Paul and Yannik Paul, $7,300 – We get not just one but two pairs of twins teeing it up this year at the Zurich Classic, with the Paul brothers being nearly $2,000 less expensive than the Hojgaards. Jeremy Paul graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour last year, earning a win and two other top 10s over the course of the season, and is fresh off a runner-up finish at the Corales. Jeremy has also had three other top 25s and was in contention at the Valspar heading into Sunday. Yannik Paul is playing on the DP World Tour and is coming off his best result of the year with a solo third this past week at the Volvo China Open. Yannik was quite close to earning a PGA Tour card in 2024 and has shown serious talent throughout his tenure overseas. The twins will clearly benefit from knowing each other’s games, and with the opportunity for Yannik to get stateside with his brother, I really think these two Outlaw Tour legends can win this week.