What Is the Lowest Score Ever Shot at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?

The scoring history of the PGA Tour event currently known as the Zurich Classic of New Orleans gets a bit tricky.

You see, up until recently, this was a typical 72-hole individual event that was first played in 1938. And while always played somewhere in the New Orleans metropolitan area, the tournament was contested at several different courses over the years.

So a low round on one course may not have been as impressive as the same score on another. Perhaps the par for the course was different, or one layout was far more difficult than another. Again, the whole thing just gets a bit tricky.

But if you simply must know the lowest 72-hole score of this tournament when it was an individual event, Chip Beck shot 26-under at Lakewood Country Club in 1988, when the event was called the USF&G Classic.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans, of course, is no longer an individual event as it became a team tournament in 2017. While the two-man teams still play 72 holes, two rounds are played under the fourball format, where each golfer plays their own ball, with the lowest score on each hole counting as the team’s score. The other two rounds are played with the alternate-shot format.

As you can imagine, it’s a lot easier to post low scores with the team format, so for the purposes of this piece, we’re only focusing on the team format. I know it’s not a very long history, but it’s just simpler that way. Throw in the fact that TPC Louisiana is the only venue that’s hosted the Zurich Classic of New Orleans under these rules, and it’s even easier.

What is the lowest single-round score shot at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?

The lowest single-round score at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a 13-under 59, a mark set in the first round of the 2022 edition by Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele during fourball play.

The duo went out in 29 and came home in 30, carding 11 birdies and an eagle. And part of the beauty of the round was the balance. Schauffele was credited with six birdies, while Cantlay was given credit for five birdies and the eagle.

What is the lowest 72-hole score at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?

As for the lowest 72-hole score in Zurich Classic history, Cantlay and Schauffele hold that honor as well. And as you’ve likely guessed, it was during that same 2022 tournament in which they opened with 59.

Following their record-setting score on day one, the dynamic duo shot 68-60-72 the rest of the way to finish at 29-under for the week, breaking the 27-under mark set by Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt in 2017.