The 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans field will feature 19 regular season winners from the last two years including Justin Rose, Ernie Els and 2013 Zurich winner Billy Horschell. Rickie Folwer, D.A. Points, Keegan Bradley and Boo Weekly are a few other recent PGA TOUR victors who hope to find success in late April at the TPC Louisiana.
"Our field is extremely deep again this year," said Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, the producer of the tournament. "The top players are attracted by our large purse, a great title sponsor and all the attractions New Orleans has to offer." This year the purse totals $6.8 million and the winner will take home $1,224,000.
A few guys with local ties hope to get a piece of the earnings. Former Tulane golfer Michael Thompson and former LSU standout Andrew Loupe are ready to get the 'home' fans something to cheer about. "This is definitely one tournament that I have circled on my calendar," Loupe said. Fellow Tigers David Toms and John Peterson have committed to play the tournament also. Patrick Reed, who graduated from University High School in Baton Rouge and has three TOUR wins in his young career, will compete in the event too.
The tournament will be held April 24-27. The event will be televised in more than 116 countries and is estimated to generate $30 million within the local economy. Single-day grounds tickets are $25 and weekly passes are $75. Tickets are available by calling (504)-342-3000 or by visiting www.zurichgolfclassic.com. Three Pro-Am tournaments will precede the Zurich Classic. The two in New Orleans will be on Monday April 21 and Wednesday April 23. Baton Rouge will host a third, different, Pro-Am on Wednesday April 23.
In 2013, Billy Horschell made six consecutive birdies in the final round on his way to an 8-under 64 that paved the way for his first career PGA TOUR victory. He had a monster year as he made the cut in 22 out of 26 starts and notched eight top-10 finishes along the way. "Billy is one of the brightest young stars on the TOUR today," Worth said.
