Monday Finish: Five things from Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Was it Team Australia? Or Team Mullet? Either way the duo of Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman ultimately prevailed in another super exciting Zurich Classic of New Orleans that once again proved professional golf can be both intense and fun at the same time. Team golf just has a way of bringing another layer of excitement and the Foursomes, sometimes referred to as alternate shot, brings in complexity and volatility on Sunday, ensuring it’s never over till their singing in the streets of New Orleans. The Aussie mates eventually closed things out over veteran South African’s Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel in a playoff as the two teams traded the lead throughout the final round. Smith jumped all the way to third in the FedExCup with Leishman moving to 29th. Here are five stories you may have missed from TPC Louisiana. 1. Leishman refused to yield to the captivity of negativity – chipping in after a penalty drop. Cameron Smith’s tee shot on the drivable par-4 16th had just taken a wicked bounce to the left and ended up in alligator territory. The Australian team had held a two-shot lead a few holes prior but were now one behind Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen and perhaps staring down the barrel of a missed opportunity. It was the type of situation many might have folded under, ruing the luck of the bounce, and letting oneself find the captivity of negativity as they took a penalty drop off the back of making bogeys on two of the previous three holes. Instead Marc Leishman said, “Why don’t we just chip this in.” And he went ahead and did just that for a critical birdie to tie things up again. The teams remained tied over the final two holes before the Australians would prevail in a playoff. The prediction from Leishman wasn’t one of arrogance – it was a continuation of the mindset and spirit the team had played with from day one. Smith knew he had the tools to make it happen and as such wasn’t dwelling on the position he’d put his partner in. The duo are very close mates and by nature have each other’s back. They’d rented a house together to stay in with their caddies Matty Kelly and Sam Pinfold such is the close bond of all four. But with Smith arguably providing the majority of big moments through the first three rounds, Leishman knew this was his moment. “Where it went in, I was dropping it on an up slope and I said, boys, why don’t we just make it,” Leishman recounted. “I didn’t think I was actually going to do it, but the power of positive thinking is a pretty good thing. If you’re thinking about making it, you probably have a better chance of making it rather than thinking about – don’t chunk it in the water. I’ve learned that over the years that positive thinking’s really helpful.” Now Leishman is a six-time PGA TOUR winner and Smith has three to his name – two at this event having won in 2017 with Jonas Blixt. And the pair have shown International Presidents Cup captain Trevor Immelman how incredible they can be as a team ahead of the 2022 Cup at Quail Hollow. Read more about the winning duo here. 2. Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel did not deserve to go down that way. No one saw it coming. Oosthuizen had been money off the tee all week at TPC Louisiana – and perhaps his entire life such is the beauty of the former Open Championship winners swing. So to see his tee shot from the 18th tee in the sudden death playoff rocket to the right and into a watery grave was shocking to say the least. It wasn’t the ending the veteran team deserved so it shouldn’t overshadow what was a great week for the South Africans. “Disappointed, but I felt we played well, gave ourselves loads of opportunities. Alternate shot’s always a tough format,” Oosthuizen said afterwards. They had begun the volatile Foursomes session with a one-shot lead and increased it to two shots on the fourth hole. Through no fault of their own they were tied up again at the turn before their first blemish came on the 10th and a hole later they were suddenly two shots down. Staring at a two-shot deficit with six to play may have been a little daunting but these old-stagers knew very well things could change on a dime. Three holes later they once again held the outright lead. They could almost feel the title belts around their waists only to lose their buffer thanks to a Leishman’s sensational chip in birdie on the 16th. Both teams had critical putts that could’ve been the difference on the 17th and 18th greens but failed to convert, sending them back out for more golf. That’s when Oosthuizen’s usually clockwork swing betrayed him. Schwartzel had to retee for the team and they’d make a double bogey, allowing the Australians to win with a conservative par. “We have a third here (2018). We have a second. I feel next time we’ll come back and get the first,” Oosthuizen said. 3. Cameron Smith’s mullet is here to stay. There was a rumor flying around New Orleans suggesting Cameron Smith was going to lop off that long flowing mullet hairstyle should he win the Zurich Classic for the second time. Turns out he’d told his girlfriend that’s what it would take for him to consider getting rid the flowing mane that has become a marketable figure on its own over the last few months as Smith contended multiple times including at both the November and April Masters. But with the weight of crowd support in his corner on Sunday Smith knew it was a promise he’d ultimately have to break. “He’s got a cult following now. You should hear the fans out there. They’re all over it. It’s awesome,” Leishman – who acted as Smith’s barber pre-tournament enthused. “It was like, it almost felt like a home crowd. Obviously they love Cam’s hair.” Leishman got further in on the Team Mullet act by buying a mullet wig of his own and wearing it on the first tee on Saturday as the team came out to “The Mullet Song” by Jay Powell. It all convinced Smith he must soldier on with the look first inspired by his rugby league heroes in Australia who used last year’s quarantine bubble to see who could grow the best one. “I have to apologize to my girlfriend; it’s not going away. I feel like it’s part of me now,” Smith said. “It’s really cool. It gives the fans something to get behind. Lots of people love it and it’s good fun as well. It makes people laugh. I love it.” 4. Peter Uihlein and Richy Werenski almost came from the clouds. The Massachusetts duo put up a tournament best 5-under 67 in the Foursomes format Sunday to post 19 under in the clubhouse well ahead of the final groups. One figured it wouldn’t be enough but in the end a bogey on the 17th would prove the difference between their third-place finish and a shot at the playoff. It’s been lean times on the TOUR for the once heavily touted Uihlein but a win last week on the Korn Ferry Tour provided the momentum into New Orleans. Werenski, a winner on TOUR at the Barracuda Championship last season, expects we’ll see more of his teammate in the future. “He says I played good, but he carried the team,” Werenski said. “He knows it. But we had a great time. I love coming to this one, Louisiana is fun, so we had a great week, and looking forward to next year.” 5. Cameron Champ and Tony Finau failed to fire on Sunday. For the opening two rounds the big-hitting power duo looked pretty impressive as they pushed to the lead and even when their best golf started to leave them in the third round both men found a way to get into the clubhouse just one shot off the pace. Finau has famously had trouble closing out a plethora of chances over the past few seasons but the feeling was that perhaps the addition of a partner might help pave the path to victory. Instead they were never a factor. After a run of five opening pars on Sunday “Team Send It” dropped four shots before the turn and their quest for the title was over. A 76 to finish dropped them all the way back to 17th place. But while they may have failed to find their groove in the final round, they certainly continue to lead the way by using their voices and profiles in the continued fight for racial equality in the U.S. In the midst of last week’s verdict in the Derek Chauvin case the duo added their voice as they have many times before. 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