Leishman – Smith won the Zurich Classic

The final title contest took place at hole 18, TPC Louisiana par72, foursome-style – hitting alternately until the hole is over.

This decision, Oosthuizen kicked the ball into the lake, causing the home team to double bogey later and Smith finished with a putt – putt to score par 1.8 meters from the hole. The Australian pair got $ 1.069 million each, while the South African couple got $ 436,000 per member.

Previously, the two teams reached the finish point at -20 after 72 standard holes. Foursome last round, Leishman-Smith 70 strokes, Oosthuizen-Schwartzel 71 strokes. At the beginning of the match, Oosthuizen-Schwartzel at -19, leading a stick against T2 including Leishman-Smith and Cameron Champ-Tony Finau.

Closing day, Leishman-Smith scored four birdies, not bogey past 11 holes. At that time, they had seven holes left and pushed the South African side off the top.

However, two bogeys in four holes and Smith’s kicking into a water trap in hole 16, short par4 put the kangaroo team in danger of “collapsing” because the opponent had led a club.

“He played well. It sounded silly to say that because the ball entered the lake but it was really fine. Just because the wind deflected the trajectory a little,” Leishman said of his countryman’s ball.

However, Leishman unexpectedly closed the birdie hole with a chip from outside the green, after dropping the ball with a free stick.

In this phase, the ball has just enough force to cross the rough grass and roll into the hole. The PGA Tour records an initial position close to 10 meters from the target.

Also in hole 16, Oosthuizen – Schwartzel only reached par by passing the green, then chip in and added two shots. At this point, they share the top of the table. The two sides in turn bogey-par for the next two holes should finish at -20.

Although T2 after 54 holes, Champ – Finau broke the match because of a double bogey and two bogeys in the first half. “Break even” the rest, they dropped 15 steps to T17 at -14 final.

With the Zurich Classic 2021, Smith won the PGA Tour for the third time while Leishman was crowned for the sixth time. Smith won this event in 2017 – the moment to move to a team match, after 79 years of individual stroke play. Meanwhile, he paired with Swedish golfer Jonas Blixt, beat Scott Brown – Kevin Kisner in the fourth hole. And with the Sony Open 2020, Smith’s three PGA Tour titles are all from the “side pit war”. Smith was born in 1993, 10 years younger than Leishman.

Zurich Classic is the only team match event in the PGA Tour schedule. The tournament brought together 80 teams, two members each, fourball competitions in the first round and penultimate, foursome competition for the remaining two legs. In a fourball team stroke play, each player bounces separately and takes only the member’s best hole score to aggregate round performance. As for foursome teammate club fighting, the two members share the same ball. If one member takes a tee shot on the odd numbered hole, the other plays on the even hole. They take turns to hit the ball until the ball enters the hole, thereby deciding the final round.

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