The second round of the 2026 Zurich Classic gets underway Friday at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans.
Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, at 14-under par, lead the Zurich Classic after the opening round and hold a one-stroke lead over the rest of the field. But, of course, the tournament remains wide open with three days still remaining.
Here are my picks and Zurich Classic Round 2 best bets.
Zurich Classic Round Best Bets
Matt Fitzpatrick / Alex Fitzpatrick Top-20 (-140 at DraftKings)
Now is the time to buy low on the Fitzpatrick brothers, who opened this week as tournament favorites. A turbulent first round left them T30, but they remain just one stroke outside of the top 20.
Last year, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak won this tournament on the greens with excellent putting as a duo. If history is to repeat itself, that bodes well for Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick.
Matt Fitzpatrick is one of the best short-game players in the world, and his putter was especially strong at last week’s RBC Heritage. He finished ninth in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting en route to winning his second title over his past three events.
Meanwhile, Alex Fitzpatrick is coming off a win of his own at the Hero Indian Open on the DP World Tour. The brothers have teamed up at this event in each of the past three seasons, and have twice finished inside the top 20.
Nick Dunlap / Gordon Sargent Top-20 (-120 at DraftKings)
Another team worth targeting in this market is the Nick Dunlap and Gordon Sargent tandem. They outperformed the Fitzpatrick brothers in Thursday’s opening round, finishing T3 at 12-under par.
While they are unlikely to maintain that pace, they are more than capable of avoiding a significant drop over the next three rounds and staying inside the top 20.
Success on the greens at TPC Louisiana is often supported by strong approach play, and the wide fairways also help players consistently find the short grass.
As a result, greens in regulation percentage from the fairway is a key metric to monitor this weekend. And that makes Sargent an appealing option, as he ranks 34th on the PGA Tour in that category.
Meanwhile, Dunlap can also contribute. He has gained true strokes on approach in each of his past three tournaments.
