Stormy weather doesn’t dampen support for Zurich Classic

AVONDALE, La. A lengthy weather delay during Sunday’s final round at TPC Louisiana didn’t seem to dampen the renewed enthusiasm for this year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Long before a dangerous storm suspended play for nearly 6  1/2 hours, tournament officials had deemed this year’s new team and 72-hole format a success based on the depth of field, star power, turnstile count and favorable TV ratings.

“Players are raving about it,’’ Fore!Kids Foundation CEO Steve Worthy said. “You roll the dice and you want to make things better, so it’s very gratifying that they’ve loved it.

“I had pretty high expectations but it’s definitely exceeded them. Absolutely! I can’t think of a negative thing I’ve heard from players. And the fans have loved it. This has been a very positive thing for us.

Six of the world’s top 10 players and 25 of the top 50 spiced the field, including charismatic young gun Jordan Spieth who teamed with Ryan Palmer to form one of the tournament’s biggest attractions.

Spieth’s presence spiked the needle like no other golfer has in New Orleans in recent memory. The largest galleries followed his pairing during the week and young fans sought his autograph post rounds.

“We’re happy to have him back,’’ Worthy said. “We have not had him since his rookie year (2013). It’s huge for us to have him back and to have him on the leaderboard. It’s been good.’’

An estimated crowd of 25,000 flooded the course Saturday, reminiscent of years past when tens of thousands flocked to Lakewood Country Club and English Turn Golf & Country Club to watch the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Payne Stewart and Nick Price, among others.

“Our Thursday crowd was our normal Saturday crowd,’’ Worthy said. “Friday was more like a Sunday and Saturday was a record.’’

Sunday was a different story as the final round commenced at 6:40 a.m. in an attempt to beat impending bad weather. At 10:03 a.m., the approaching storm chased the 36 teams and the week’s smallest crowd off the course, marking the fifth consecutive year that the tournament has been disrupted by weather delays.

Play resumed at 4:25 p.m. with Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown trying to preserve a one-shot lead over Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith with 12 holes remaining. Nearly 3 1/2 hours later, in near darkness, Kisner holed a 94 1/2-foot chipshot for an eagle 3 at the 586-yard, par 5 18th to pull his team into a tie for the lead with Blixt and Smith at 27-under 261.

The two teams will return to the 18th hole Monday where they will commence a sudden death playoff beginning at 8 a.m.

Sunday’s weather aside, players seemed wildly enthusiastic with the new format —alternate shot used in the first and third rounds and best ball in the second and fourth rounds. The large galleries would indicate golf fans like the new format. The tournament, too, has received early positive reviews from the media.

One tournament, however, is hardly a true sample.

The success of the new and improved Zurich Classic ultimately will be based on sustainability — whether tournament officials can convince more marquee players to play New Orleans’ annual stop on the PGA Tour year after year after year.

This year, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama and Spieth represented the world’s top 10, an entry list akin to recent years in New Orleans. Next year, tournament officials say they are hopeful of landing Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia.

Any or all would be most welcome.

The same can’t be said for an uncooperative Mother Nature.

This story was originally published April 30, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Stormy weather doesn’t dampen support for Zurich Classic."