Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry and other big names miss out on Zurich Classic

The defending champions were behind, but not out.

With six holes left in the second round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the only team event on the PGA Tour’s schedule, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak were on opposite sides of the cut line, at 7 under and two strokes apart. Adding to the challenge at hand was the fact that the second round was played in foursomes or alternative shot, the more difficult of the two formats used at TPC Louisiana in Avondale.

advertisement

But there’s no need to fear. That’s because Griffin and Novak made eagles and two birdies to move into the top 33 and tie in with the weekend schedule.

Griffin got things started with a 351-yard drive on the par-4 13th. Novak took care of the rest, chipping in from 28 yards for an eagle and suddenly the defending champion was on the cut line. Birdies on Nos. 15 and 18 were offset by a drop shot on No. 17, but the 3-under 69 was good enough for a 36-hole total of 10 under 134. That was a better shot than the cut he made at 9-under 135, leaving 35 teams in the trophy hunt. First-round leaders Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer birdied two of the final three holes to take a 36-hole lead.

Let’s take a look at some of the teams that were sent packing.

Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry

Lowry joked that he only partners with players who have played five or more majors. However, things haven’t been as smooth for Koepka as his winning partner Rory McIlroy two years ago. Koepka and Lowry had four balls of 66 and foursomes of 69. I needed a birdie on one of the last two holes, the front nine and the second nine, but I only got a par. Lowry, an ambassador for Zurich, and Koepka, a five-time major champion who previously competed in the group event with his brother Chase, are big losses for a tournament already lacking in star power.

advertisement

Tony Finau and Max Glaserman

Finau had made the cut seven times in a row, but he also didn’t make the cut at last week’s 82-person uncut RBC Heritage. He and Glaserman shot a four-ball, bogey-free 67 and a four-under 68. He made par on the last five holes, which required birdies, but fell one spot short.

Cam Davis and Jeff Ogilvy

Australian Davis got the chance to audition in front of the Presidents Cup captain. However, he finished with an 8-under score of 136, falling just short. He missed his tee time on the weekend after posting an even-par second nine in Friday’s foursome.

Michael Brennan and Johnny Keefer

The two teamed up after Brennan won the Utah Championship in the fall. Brennan gave it his all, took off his shirt and fired a shot from the penalty area. They posted a nine-hole best of 7-under 29 on Thursday, but struggled even more with foursomes on Friday. They were 5 over after five holes, but they shot a 75 and never recovered. They shot an 8-under 136, falling two spots short.

advertisement

Mackenzie Hughes and Taylor Pendrith

The Canadian duo got off to a strong start with a four-ball 10-under 62, but suffered four bogeys on foursomes and finished with a 2-over 74, taking the weekend off.

Chris Kirk and Patton Kizzia

The former Georgia Bulldogs struggled to make birdies on four-balls and shot an even-par 72. But birdies were not a problem in the foursome. We got seven, which is great. The only problem was he made six bogeys and signed a 1-under 71. The best score was a hole too big to recover from and a miscut as a partner.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Tour Zurich Classic: Koepka-Lowry, Finau-Glazerman miss cuts