Zurich Classic Recap: Novak and Griffin Steal the Show!

The Zurich Classic is always a wild ride with its team format, and this year was no different. After four rounds of best ball and alternate shot chaos, Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin emerged victorious, capturing their first career PGA Tour wins by posting a ridiculous -28/260 total. They split a hefty $2.65 million payday and earned 800 FedEx Cup points as a team. A life-changing week for both!

Major Highlights:

• Andrew Novak / Ben Griffin – Winners! A steady performance all week capped off by holding their nerve on Sunday with a 71 in alternate shot. Huge leap forward for both players' seasons.

• Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard – The twin magic was alive! They charged hard and finished solo 2nd at -27/261, earning over $1 million combined. These guys are going to be a force in team events for a long time.

• Michael Thorbjornsen / Karl Vilips – A young, underrated duo that played lights out to finish T4 at -25/263. Serious credit to both for staying aggressive all weekend.

Solid Performances:

• Justin Lower / Chad Ramey – Quietly put together a T8 finish at -24/264. A great bounce-back week for both players.

• Nick Taylor / Adam Hadwin and Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry – Both teams finished T12 at -22/266, playing solid team golf but just not quite making a Sunday charge.

Notable Missed Cuts:

Several popular picks failed to make it to the weekend, including:

• Carson Young / Akshay Bhatia

• Collin Morikawa / Kurt Kitayama (after a sizzling 61, they stumbled to a second-round 75)

• Joel Dahmen / Harry Higgs

• Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick

• Rico Hoey / Sam Ryder

Sometimes team chemistry is everything at the Zurich, and it showed once again.

Other Takeaways:

• Tom Hoge / Kevin Chappell – The late partner swap didn’t yield much magic. They finished 36th at -14/274.

• Sahith Theegala / Aaron Rai and JT Poston / Keith Mitchell – Both teams hung around all week, ultimately settling at T18.

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In Summary:
The Zurich once again reminded us that in team golf, it’s not just about raw talent – chemistry, trust, and resilience under alternate shot pressure are just as important. Congrats to Novak and Griffin for pulling off a career-defining win!