The Scottie Scheffler bandwagon rolled on as he clinched victory in the weather-delayed RBC Heritage on Monday, and if anything that win was more impressive than The Masters success he pocketed eight days before.
Having captured his second Green Jacket at Augusta, media duties and a visit home to see his heavily pregnant wife meant the world number one only had nine holes of fact-finding at Harbour Town before going out to blow the best the PGA Tour has to offer away in what is becoming customary fashion.
Scheffler’s three-shot win over Sahith Theegala was his fourth in five outings – with the other resulting in a share of second at the Houston Open – and once more he topped all of the long game stats, leaving his rivals pondering just when this run of form may come to an end, while the bookies are scurrying to make sure they don’t get too badly stung in the coming weeks.
He is now as short as 3/1 for next month’s US PGA Championship in Kentucky, while Sky Bet are going 50/1 that Scheffler wins all four Majors this term, something not even Tiger Woods achieved in his pomp, although he did hold all four at one time between 2000 and 2001.
One crumb of comfort for the rest of the leading lights is that the RBC Heritage victory was Scheffler’s 10th official PGA Tour success, and all 10 have come in the months of February, March and April.
The likes of Rory McIlroy will be hoping Scheffler returns in May, after a couple of weeks off, and suddenly decides to give the rest a chance.
He has definitely opened the door this week as the top man isn’t playing in the Zurich Classic, a pairs event that may come as a welcome change of pace after the first Major of the season and a top-class Signature Event at Harbour Town.
This is the seventh renewal of the Zurich Classic in its current guise at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans, where 80 pairs will play better-ball in rounds one and three, and revert to a shot-about format on days two and four.
The presence of McIlroy adds to an event that has been growing in appeal and quality each year since the move from a standard individual competition in 2017, with the Holywood man teeing it up alongside Shane Lowry as they attempt to shake off a couple of humdrum weeks.
The Irish pair are 8/1 second-favourites behind the long-established duo of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who won this in 2022 and were fourth in defence last term as Davis Riley and Nick Hardy triumphed.
Cantlay and Schauffele have also combined impressively in Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups and are clearly the pair to beat.
That said, at no bigger than 4/1 in an event that throws up birdies for fun there is little appeal in the price, and another duo of Californian natives in Theegala and Will Zalatoris might just be the pick of those towards the head of the betting.
This is the first outing for the young guns as a pair, but Zalatoris was fourth alongside Riley here two years ago and can clearly handle the track, while Theegala went low alongside Justin Suh last term in better-ball and should benefit from the experience.
Theegala also travels to New Orleans on the back of another impressive showing in elite company at Harbour Town, adding that second to his sixth at Bay Hill and ninth in The Players at Sawgrass.
Zalatoris, meanwhile, was ninth at Augusta the week before last and is the type of consistent ball-striker who should keep his partner right in the alternative shot rounds.
They look a classy pairing and at 9/1 (Ladbrokes) are worth backing to upset the teams ahead of them in the betting, and perhaps cement a combination for future Presidents and Ryder Cups.
While the big guns were at the RBC Heritage, Billy Horschel was maintaining his resurgence by winning the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.
That should send him back to New Orleans in fine fettle, and TPC Louisiana has been one of his favourite venues over the years.
Horschel won here on his own in 2013, and also as part of a pair alongside Scott Piercy in 2018, while he has also been second and fourth with Sam Burns.
Tyson Alexander is Horschel’s partner this time, and while he is a lesser name, he was 14th in the Texas Open two starts ago, and could get similar breezy conditions in Louisiana over the weekend.
Horschel will clearly be the driving force, so his course knowledge and fine form may just inspire his partner and they could easily place at 45/1 in a field that has plenty of padding further down the list.
Finally, the Canadian pair of Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin were second here last year and could well go one better as they seek to seal their places in the Presidents Cup team on home turf in Montreal later this year.
Both have shown very decent form in 2024, with Taylor winning in Phoenix and Hadwin coming fourth at the Genesis and fifth at the Valspar Championship last month.
They showed their liking for the format in 2023, and these close mates are definitely capable of getting in the mix at 33/1.
Meanwhile, the form of Scheffler might just have sent a few of his peers off in search of Greg Norman’s number as he seeks to add more big names to the LIV Golf roster.
The Saudi series is on Norman’s home turf in Australia this week for LIV Golf Adelaide, and while Jon Rahm is once more favourite despite clearly hating the vibe of these events, home boy Cameron Smith is the man to follow.
The host venue, Grange Golf Club, has a definite links vibe to it and the 2022 Open champion returns Down Under in fine form, having finished sixth at Augusta 10 days ago to add to a fourth in Hong Kong.
Smith is definitely an each-way runner at the very least at 12/1 (Sky Bet), while Patrick Reed is also worth following at 28/1 on the back of a fine 12th at The Masters.
Reed was also ninth in the last LIV event in Miami and fourth in an Asian Tour outing in Macau last month, while he was third in the inaugural LIV Golf Adelaide last year and might just go well again, safe in the knowledge that Scottie Scheffler isn’t going to turn up and take all the silverware.
ZURICH CLASSIC SELECTIONS
Sahith Theegala/Will Zalatoris, e/w, 9/1 (Ladbrokes);
Billy Horschel/Tyson Alexander, e/w, 45/1 (Sky Bet);
m Nick Taylor/Adam Hadwin, e/w, 33/1 (Ladbrokes)
LIV GOLF ADELAIDE SELECTIONS
Cameron Smith, e/w, 12/1 (Sky Bet);
Patrick Reed, e/w, 28/1 (General)
