A fun week in New Orleans was highlighted by a lot of talk about hair, specifically the mullet sported by Cameron Smith. His teammate Marc Leishman amped up the fun by showing up to the first tee wearing a mullet wig on Saturday.
The Australian duo were all business on Sunday, however, as they took home the title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in a playoff to fend off the South African team of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.
But not after some back-nine suspense:
A penalty shot on the 13th hole against the Smith and Leishman team led to a bogey. A two-shot swing on 15 after another Smith/Leishman bogey coupled with a Schwartzel/Oosthuizen birdie to give the South Africans the lead once again. A Smith drive on 17 that went into the water was followed by a birdie chip-in by Leishman, which tied things up once again.
WOW!@MarcLeish chips in for birdie on No. 16.
Team Smith/Leishman are now tied for the lead @Zurich_Classic. pic.twitter.com/Y1EQPlRPHT
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 25, 2021
A pair of bogeys on 17 and two pars on 18 kept things tied, forcing a playoff.
On the first playoff hole, the 18th, Oosthuizen pushed his tee shot hard right into the water, while Smith made sure he went left but did end up in a bunker.
From there, the Smith/Leishman team parred the hole to claim the title.
Smith earned his first PGA Tour win in this event in 2017 when he teamed with Jonas Blixt. It was the first year the event used the team format. Leishman’s last Tour win was at Torrey Pines at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open.
Zurich Classic: Leaderboard | Yardage book | Photos
For Oosthuizen and Schwartzel, the droughts continue. Oosthuizen still has yet to win on American soil. He also hasn’t tasted victory since he won the 2010 British Open. For 2011 Masters champion Schwartzel, his last win on the PGA Tour remains the 2016 Valspar Championship.
The team of Peter Uihlein and Richie Werenski shot a final-round 67 to get to 19 and finish third. Uihlein won a week ago on the Korn Ferry Tour in Vegas.
Billy Horschel and Sam Burns tied for fourth with Keith Mitchell and Brandt Snedeker. The defending champion team of Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer finished solo seventh.