After two weeks of big events on the PGA Tour that included The Masters and the RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour headed south to TPC Louisiana for a change of pace at the Zurich Classic. The team event is the only of its kind on the tour’s annual schedule, giving players a chance to play a different style of golf.

With scoring typically reaching the mid 20-under area, players know they need to make a lot of birdies. The best ball rounds typically provide the lowest of the scores, as both players play their own ball for 18 holes, then take the lower of the two scores for the team. Last year, Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy won the event in a playoff at 25-under par, and the year prior the scoring record was set at 30-under by Davis Riley and Nick Hardy.

For players seeking their first win, the Zurich Classic has been a good place to do it and this year was no different. Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak have both been trending in the right direction for a long time and this week, they finally got their moment.

The pair of Americans opened with a best-ball 62, followed by an impressive alternate-shot 66. Novak and Griffin did their best work on Saturday, as the duo carded a 61 which vaulted them into the lead with just one round to play. 

Despite holding the 54-hole lead, it was never going to be easy for Griffin and Novak. Chasers Jake Knapp and Minnesota native Frankie Capan had grabbed a share of the lead midway through the back nine. However, a miscue on the 17th tee by Capan resulted in a team bogey, while Griffin made an unlikely birdie from 35 feet off the back edge. The two shot swing gave Novak and Griffin the lead, and a routine par on No. 18 gave them each their first PGA Tour win. 

The victory was momentous for both players, punching their ticket to the season's next major at Quail Hollow – the PGA Championship. 

Winner’s Bags - Andrew Novak / Ben Griffin 

Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak both became first time PGA Tour winners on Sunday at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Both players also play a pretty mixed bag of equipment, with six different brands in play between the pair.

All WITB information is courtesy of GolfWRX.

Drivers: PING G430 Max 10K (Griffin), PING G440 LST (Novak)

Shafts: UST Mamiya Lin-Q Proto V1 7 TX (Griffing), Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green RDX 75 TX (Novak)

wo PING drivers in play for the winners, but different philosophies. Griffin opts for the added forgiveness of the PING G430 Max 10K, while Novak seeks more spin control and a lower trajectory with the new PING G440 LST. Off the tee, both players game PING drivers, but very different models. Griffin opts for the Ping G430 Max 10K for maximum forgiveness, while Novak plays the newer model G440 LST for a lower spinning drive with lower trajectory.

Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Qi35 (Griffin), PING G440 Max (Novak)

Shafts: UST Mamiya Lin-Q Proto V1 8 TX (Griffin), Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX (Novak)

Griffin’s lone fairway wood is a new TaylorMade Qi35 3-wood, a club he uses frequently off the tee as well. Novak, meanwhile, keeps G440 into the fairway woods with a PING G440 Max 3-wood and 5-wood. 

Irons: Mizuno JPX 923 Tour & Mizuno Pro S-3 (Griffin), Srixon ZX7 MK II & Srixon Z-Forged (Novak)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (Griffin/Novak)

Both players opt for a combination of two models in their iron sets. Griffin carries a Mizuno JPX 923 Tour 3-iron and the new Mizuno Pro S-3 model (4-PW), both of which are stellar players cavity irons. Novak, on the other hand, plays a Srixon combo set, starting with the previous-generation ZX7 MK IIs (4-6) in the longer irons for more forgiveness followed by the traditional blade style Srixon Z-Forged (7-PW) for soft feel and control in the shorter irons. 

Wedges: Mizuno Pro T-1 & TaylorMade MG4 (Griffin), Cleveland RTZ (Novak)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (Griffin/Novak)

Griffin utilizes the new Mizuno Pro T-1 wedges for his fuller swing wedges (50 and 56 degrees) that provide him soft feel and control on approach shots. He then uses a TaylorMade MG4 60-degree wedge for the creative shots around the green. Novak’s entire wedge set consists of the new Cleveland RTZ model (50, 54, and 60 degrees), Novak on the other hand plays a full trio of the new Cleveland RTZ wedges (50, 54, and 60 degrees) which consist of the new Z-Alloy material that is both softer-feeling and more durable than traditional wedge materials.

In a team event like this, it’s crucial to get hot on the greens – and that’s what Griffin and Novak did. Griffin’s 35-footer from off the green on 17 gave them the cushion they needed to close it out, and he did so with his Scotty Cameron Concept 2 Tour Rat Prototype. Novak rolls the Odyssey Ai-One Milled Seven TS.

Golf Ball: Maxfli Tour X (Griffin), Srizon Z-Star Diamond (Novak)

In the World of Women's Golf

The LPGA held its first major of the season and started it off with a splash! Mao Saigo, the reigning LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year captured her first LPGA win and first Major Championship in a dramatic five-person playoff at the Chevron Championship.

Ariya Jutanugarn was in firm control of the Chevron Championship, leading for most of the final round, but a costly mistake on her 3rd shot resulted in a bogey on the 72nd hole, and that opened the door for Hyo Joo Kim, Ruoning Yin, Lindy Duncan and Saigo to all tie her at 7-under, setting the stage for an unbelievable five-person playoff.

In the playoff, Ruoning Yin was in the driver's seat as she found the par 5 18th hole in 2 and had a good look at a Major Championship winning eagle, but that attempt slipped by, and then a lip our on the comebacker cost her a chance at the win. Jutanugarn was the only other player with a look at birdie on the playoff hole, but she too missed her putt, setting Saigo up for the chance to win, and despite nerves, the 23-year-old Japanese standout buried a 3-footer to capture her first Major Championship.