The 2012 Zurich Classic of New Orleans will be played Thursday, April 26th, through Sunday, April 29th, at the TPC Louisiana golf course in Avondale. As the final PGA Tour event of the month, the results from Avondale will decide who is named as the Tour's Player of the Month for April 2012. The four leading candidates (Bubba Watson, Carl Pettersson, Ben Curtis, and Matt Every) will all be playing.
Bubba Watson: Watson hit a spectacular hooking shot out of the woods, on the second playoff hole at Augusta, to win the 2012 Masters championship on April 8th. This was his first major championship and fourth victory overall since joining the PGA Tour in 2006. Winning the Masters could have made Bubba Watson the odds-on favorite for Player of the Month honors, except that it is the only tournament he has played in. He will begin the Zurich Classic from the 10th tee at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 26th.
Carl Pettersson: Pettersson became a regular on the PGA Tour in 2003 and nearly claimed victory in his second start, finishing second to Tiger Woods at the 2003 Buick Invitational. In the 2012 season he finished second twice, at both the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Shell Houston Open, before claiming victory on April 15th at the RBC Heritage. This was the fifth PGA Tour victory in Pettersson's career, but (like Watson) the only event he has played in April. Carl Pettersson will begin play at Avondale on the 1st tee at 7:40 a.m. in Thursday's first round.
Ben Curtis: Curtis won the British Open during his rookie season of 2003. He won twice more on the PGA Tour in 2006, at the Booz Allen Classic and the 84 Lumber Classic. Since that time he had not won any tournament on the PGA Tour, or any other professional tour for that matter, until his victory at the Valero Texas Open on April 22nd. Once again, Ben Curtis' victory in Texas was his only PGA Tour event played in April. He will tee off at 7:40 a.m., on the 10th tee, to begin the Zurich Classic.
Matt Every: Every earned his PGA Tour card by finishing 10th on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2009, after winning the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island in October of that year. To date that is the only professional win in his career. With four top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2012, he is having his best season ever. Matt Every has entered two events in April and, by finishing 8th at the RBC Heritage and 2nd at the Valero Texas Open, he is the only player on the PGA Tour to have more than one top 10 finish during the month. At 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 26th, he will begin the Zurich Classic at the 10th tee.
Harold Andrews has played golf for nearly 50 years (competitively and recreationally) and considers Jack Nicklaus the greatest golfer of all time.
source:
pgatour.com
