Sleeper Picks: Zurich Classic

The partnerships at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans are more fascinating and substantive than pairings and groupings that often generate buzz in individual competitions, for the fate of every golfer at TPC Louisiana is a shared pursuit. When you add the fact that this is the inaugural edition of the team format in an official capacity, it’s unfair to fear or dismiss any collaboration. Monday’s Power Rankings presented 10 teams that are expected to capture our attention as probable contenders. This week’s version of Sleepers dives into three more that could surprise for different reasons. Andrew Loupe & John Peterson … The PGA TOUR’s only stop in Louisiana wouldn’t be complete if the former roommates at LSU didn’t pair up. Both are 28 years old, but they’ve have been going at it for nearly 20 years now. They broke onto the TOUR in 2013-14. Peterson has 15 top 25s in 78 starts, while Loupe has totaled 11 top 25s in 75 starts but he have seven top 10s, five more than Peterson. Loupe, who is five months older, also has Peterson by $128,090 in career earnings. That’s nothing in a given week but it’s a position with which Peterson has been familiar for a long time. “He used to annihilate me,” Peterson said early their first season together. “I’m shooting 84, he’s coming with 72 as a 10-year-old. You’re like, ‘This kid is cheating. He can’t be this good. Why doesn’t he turn pro?’” Needless to say, the respect and admiration was in place long ago. “We’ve battled back and forth for years,” Peterson added in the same interview for PGATOUR.com. “It’s crazy how much I want him to win, but how much I want to beat him, too.” All Peterson left out was the opportunity to do it together. Both bayou brothers are seeking their first TOUR title. Lucas Glover & Chez Reavie … Who better to occupy one of these slots than a couple of regulars in this space? Being a Sleeper for any tournament can come off as a backhanded compliment. Quite simply, it’s an acknowledgment that something is missing. Whether it’s current matchup to the course, recent form, course history or even a recent illness or injury, doubt thwarts an appearance in the Power Rankings. That these two are a team is akin to finding the last piece of the puzzle for each. Glover is in the midst of a renaissance season that first showed sparks in 2015-16. He’s T7 on the PGA TOUR in total driving, T3 in greens in regulation, T8 in proximity to the hole, 10th in strokes gained: tee-to-green, T4 in par-4 scoring and T38 in par-5 scoring. He’s also 8-for-9 at TPC Louisiana with three top 10s. For most intents and purposes, Reavie is a grinder who overcomes a slight build with course management and patience. Currently 14th on TOUR in fairways hit, first in proximity, 25th in scrambling and T6 in par-3 scoring. If there’s such a thing as depth in a two-man squad, they have it. Dominic Bozzelli & J.T. Poston … These two PGA TOUR rookies have just enough experience to be dangerous in their tournament debuts. The 25-year-old Bozzelli has garnered more television time with top-five finishes at the CareerBuilder Challenge and Valspar Championship, but he’s missed eight of 13 cuts. Poston, 23, is 12-for-15 with an active consecutive cuts made streak at seven. He ranks T14 in red numbers. Both sits just inside the top 90 in the FedExCup points standings as we cross into the second half of the season. The athletic Bozzelli possesses the modern skill set of attacking off the tee and remaining aggressive, but when he took third place at Copperhead, he ranked T2 in greens hit and fourth in scrambling to showcase his artful side. Poston is the throwback. He’s taller but wiry. His confidence comes to life on approach and on greens. With one complementing the other, earned levels of comfort as they chase berths in the Playoffs and their team-faring days at Auburn (Bozzelli) and Western Carolina (Poston) still relatively fresh experiences in their careers, the Web.com Tour grads mount a compelling case.

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