The 2024 Zurich Classic toughened up Friday after some relatively free-flowing play in the first round. Instead of best ball format where teams get to take the better of their players' two scores on each hole, Round 2 was alternate shot where teammates often left their partners in terrible positions.
Nobody, it seemed, was immune. Matt Fitzpatrick missed a shockingly short putt that his brother, Alex, had to clean up. Will Zalatoris flubbed a shot from the woods on a thick bed of pine straw that Sahith Theegala had to come in and try to address.
Even the co-leaders, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, had their moments.
"I missed a pretty short one on 18 and then another one on the second," Lowry said. "I started to get a little bit into myself, but to roll that one in [at the fourth hole for par] was nice, and to play the last few holes the way we did was really nice, too.
"I think a bit of a lesson there for myself to kind of keep going and just keep trying and keep plugging away. We did that today, and I'm pretty happy how we finished."
How they finished was birdie-birdie-par to shoot a 2-under 70 and maintain a share of the lead after 36 holes of play at 13 under.
It's a crowded leaderboard, though, which should make for a fun few days of play this weekend at the Zurich Classic. Let's take a closer look at the second round and what to expect on Saturday and Sunday.
The leaders
T1. Davis Thompson & Andrew Novak (-13)
T1. Aaron Rai & David Lipsky (-13)
T1. Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry (-13)
T1. Ryan Brehm & Mark Hubbard (-13)
Obviously, McIlroy and Lowry are the headliners among this group, especially after shooting 61 to open play as they also co-led after Day 1. Given their firepower, they could follow that with something similar in the second best ball portion of the event Sunday. They are an endearing team, one that is easy to cheer, but also they work well together as McIlroy pointed out on Friday after their 70.
"As Shane said, after those it's easy to sort of get hard on yourself," he explained. "I was just trying to keep him as positive as possible and just remind him that I'm here and I'm here to back him up in any way that I can. So, yeah, just trying to keep him positive."
Not every team in this field is as tight-knit as McIlroy and Lowry, and while that can sometimes work against two players, in this instance of these two playing together for the first time at this event, it seems to be working in their favor.
Other contenders
T5. Callum Tarren & David Skinns (-12)
T5. Nick Taylor & Adam Hadwin (-12)
T5. Zach Johnson & Ryan Palmer (-12)
T5. Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele (-12)
Cantlay and Schauffele made a late run at this 13-under lead but bogeyed the par-5 last to fall into a tie for fifth. Still, they shot a round-of-the-day 67 in alternate shot and will be terrifying if they're anywhere close to the lead after best ball on Saturday. For whatever reason -- perhaps because they are top 10 players in the world, perhaps because they play together all the time, or perhaps because they have so much experience in this format -- they have been among the best alternate shot teams at this event ever and hold the record in that format at 63.
There is nobody I would trust more Sunday.
Rick Gehman and Kyle Porter recap Friday foursomes at the 2024 Zurich Classic. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
2024 Zurich Classic updated odds, picks
Odds via Sportsline consensus
- Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry: 13/5
- Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele: 7/2
- Andrew Novak & Davis Thompson: 9-1
- Nick Taylor & Adam Hadwin: 10-1
- Corey Conners & Taylor Pendrith: 12-1
- Aaron Rai & David Lipsky: 14-1
- Ryan Brehm & Mark Hubbard: 16-1
I really like the Canadian duo of Taylor and Hadwin, who are 12 under and just one back of the lead. There are currently 39 teams that are within five of the lead, though, which is a crazy number. The bigger problem for Taylor and Hadwin is that they have two Ryder Cup duos ahead of them. Still, Taylor is one of the more underrated players in the world, and both of those guys can get scorching. If they can ham and egg it at the right time on Saturday, they could hold the lead on Sunday.
