NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)—Justin Rose, who won the individual Zurich Classic title in 2015, will team again with Henrik Stenson for the fourth time in the tournament, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore! Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“Both of these players have won major titles in their careers and were the first to commit as a team when we moved to our new format in 2017,” said Worthy. “They have enjoyed an extremely successful Ryder Cup partnership, and now Henrik will be the European captain for the 2023 event,” added Worthy.
Stenson was named European Ryder Cup captain in March, becoming the first Swede to be awarded the honor. He will lead the European team in Rome from September 25 – October 1, 2023, when they try to wrest the cup from the Americans, who won decisively in 2021 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Rose won the 2016 Olympic gold medal over Stenson, who took silver in that year’s competition. Together they captured both their team matches in the 2018 Ryder Cup won decisively by the Europeans.
Rose and Stenson each have compiled an impressive record beyond their Olympic success in 2016. In addition to the Zurich Classic, Rose won the U.S. Open in 2013 and the FedEx Cup in 2018. Stenson won the 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2016 just prior to his success at the Summer Olympics that year and won his FedExCup in 2013.
They tied for 11th in the 2021 Zurich Classic.
Both have represented Europe in the Ryder Cup five times. They have been paired together in Ryder Cup competition eight times, tied for fourth all-time among the European teams. Their combined record as a team is 6-2-0.
Rose is 13-8-2 all-time in the Ryder Cup and Stenson has posted a record of 10-7-2.
Rose was ranked number one in the world for 13 weeks in 2018 and 2019. He was a fixture in the world’s top 10 eight out of nine years from 2012 to 2019.
He has won ten times on the PGA TOUR, most recently the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open. He has claimed another 12 international victories. Two of his PGA Tour titles were World Golf Championships, including the 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions, when he came back from eight shots behind on the final day to win with a closing round of 67.
His best finish last season was a tie for 7th in the Masters, when he led after the first two days of play. He also posted a tie for eighth in the PGA Championship and a tie for 10th in the Wyndham Championship.
He won the U.S. Open in 2013 and has posted no fewer than 17 top-10 finishes in major tournaments.
He ranks eighth in all-time winnings on the PGA TOUR with more than $56 million. He has posted 104 top-10 finishes in 379 tournaments on the PGA Tour since 1998.
In addition to qualifying for the Ryder Cup five times, he has also made three World Cup teams, two Seve Cup squads and at age 17 played in the Walker Cup, becoming the youngest player in that event’s history.
He pitched in at the last hole to finish in a tie for fourth and win the Silver Medal as leading amateur in the 1998 Open Championship. He turned professional the next day.
Stenson has won six times on the PGA TOUR, including a World Golf Championship title, The Players Championship and the 2013 TOUR Championship to win the FedExCup that season. He has also claimed 13 international titles.
He won The Open Championship in 2016 with a final round score of 63 to become the first Swede to win a major tournament. He has posted top 10- finishes a total of 13 times in major tournaments.
In 2018 he tied for second in the WGC-HSBC Champions that Justin Rose won and earned a fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also finished fifth in the Masters, tied for sixth in the U.S. Open and won all three of his matches in the Ryder Cup.
In addition to playing on five Ryder Cup teams, he also made four World Cup teams and three Royal Trophy squads. In the 2018 Ryder Cup played in Paris, as a captain’s pick, he went 3-0-0 and closed with a 5 and 4 win over Bubba Watson in singles.
The 2022 Zurich Classic field is shaping up to be one of the strongest ever. The field now includes seven of the top 11 players in the world.
· New world number-one ranked Scottie Scheffler will pair with fellow Texan and former Zurich Classic champion Ryan Palmer.
· Collin Morikawa, now ranked third in the world, will team with Viktor Hovland, ranked fourth, to form the highest ranked pair in the history of the team format at the Zurich Classic.
· Patrick Cantlay, the 2021 FedExCup winner ranked fifth in the world, will pair with 2020 Olympic gold medal winner Xander Schauffele, ranked tenth, to make a second top-10 ranked team in the field.
· Cameron Smith, who won The Players Championship and vaulted to 6th in the world, will team again with fellow Australian Marc Leishman to defend the title they won last year at the Zurich Classic. Smith is the only two-time team winner of the Zurich Classic.
· Sam Burns, whose repeat victory in the Valspar Classic moved him up to 10th in the world rankings, slipped to 11th this week after skipping the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. He will play again in the Zurich Classic with Billy Horschel, who is vying to become the first three-time winner in the tournament’s history and himself is ranked 13th in the world.
In 2021, after cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.3 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
Because of its popularity, the Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2022, along with expanded suite options at the 17th and 18th holes. A new Walk-On’s Stadium Club venue will also be introduced.
About Fore!Kids Foundation:
Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, Fore!Kids has distributed more than $42 million since inception, providing healthcare, education and hope for over 200,000 children each year. More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.
About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.
The tournament will be played April 18-24, 2022 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2022 totals a record $8.3 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,199,350.
Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.
{Courtesy: release from the Zurich Classic}