Preview and Prediction for the 2015 Zurich Classic

Three of the world's top 10 make the trip to New Orleans for a stab at the Zurich Classic. Jason Day, Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson will look to go low on a course that saw Billy Horschel shoot a record 20-under par in 2013.

It was Horschel's first win as a pro and was also Sueng-Yul Noh's first win a year ago. Noh held off Keegan Bradley to earn that win, and now he'll have to contend with hungry post-Masters juggernauts looking to get their second wins of the season. In the case of Rose, he will be going for his first in 2015.

Grab a po’boy and a beignet, it’s time to go golfing New Orleans style.

Where to Watch and Tournament Info

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

Where

TPC Louisiana

7,425 yards, Par 72

What

Total Purse: $6,900,000

Winning Share: $1,242,000

FedEx Points to Winner: 500

When

Thursday-Friday

3-6 p.m. ET, Golf Channel

Saturday-Sunday

1-2:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel; 3-6 p.m., CBS

Biggest Storylines

Reinhold Matay/Associated Press

John Peterson Returns

John Peterson, the 2011 NCAA Division I individual champion, returns to the region of his state-college dominance, LSU.

Peterson, whom few have heard of outside of Baton Rouge, recently finished tied for 18th at the Heritage. He hit the most greens in regulation but took a beating with the putter. He told Trey Iles of The Times-Picayune:

"

I didn't putt as good as I would have liked to (at RBC Heritage). I could have been higher if I would have putted well. I hit it really good. I don't know what I was in ranking in greens in regulation but I hit it awesome. Just wish I would have made a few more putts. I would have been right there.

Coming home, so to speak, can bring the best out of a player so look for Peterson to contend.

"

3 of the World’s Top 10 Will Start

Jason Day, Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson tee it up this week at TPC Louisiana.

Rose comes in the hottest of the three with his smashing success at Augusta National Golf Club, finishing in a tie for second at the Masters.

Day, who started his 2015 season with three top-fives in four events, has struggled of late. His trip to Augusta started great, a five-under 67 to start the tournament. He then shot 74, 71 and 75 over the following three days.

Johnson, the eagle machine, finished in a tie for sixth at the Masters. When Johnson has made the cut in 2015, he hasn’t finished worse than sixth.

The Favorites

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Dustin Johnson

As stated in the previous slide, when Johnson has made the cut in 2015, he hasn’t finished worse than a tie for sixth. He’s not contending in the Puerto Rico Opens of the world (no offense PRO), but WGCs, majors, Arnold Palmer’s tournament, etc.

The 72-hole record at TPC Louisiana is 268, 20-under par (shot by Billy Horschel). Johnson’s superior distance off the tee is what helped him shoot three eagles at the Masters in one round. Sometimes that length becomes a vice. Jordan Spieth is 20 yards shorter than Johnson off the tee and see how that worked.

Johnson said in Ewan Murray’s Guardian story leading into the Masters: "I feel really confident in my golf swing. I feel like I’m swinging it really well. I need to do some work with the putter and short game. ... But I feel like the swing is really good."

Justin Rose

Rose may not have pulled eagles out of the sky the way Johnson did at Augusta, but he did earn his way into the final pairing.

He went blow for blow with eventual champion Spieth through the first few holes but couldn’t keep pace as Spieth pulled away.

Rose said in George Willis’ New York Post story:

"

Obviously, there’s two ways to look at it. You can take that 14-under par and I’ll take that next year and I’ll take that the year after and I’ll take it the year after. So I have to take a lot of confidence from that. But you’ve got to play it on the day, too. I felt like a couple of times there were a few moments out there where I could have done better. I’ll learn from that.

"

Aside from Rose’s Masters performance, he’s had a forgettable year so far with three missed cuts and two finishes 37th or worse.

He’s the 2013 U.S. Open champion and he played like a major champion at Augusta National. Now two weeks removed from the Masters, he should contend at the Zurich Classic and maybe earn his first win since last year’s Quicken Loans National.

Honorable Mention: Jason Day, Keegan Bradley, Billy Horschel

The Dark Horses

Seung-Yul Noh

Noh means yes?

Noh is the defending champion here, which marks his only career victory on the PGA Tour. He has played in 12 events so far this year with an average finish of 38.66 with four missed cuts.

But he returns to the scene of his greatest professional triumph, and that means something, especially between the ears.

And with such a mediocre third of a season, getting into the top 10 is a reality for this struggling player right now.

Charles Howell III

CH3 opened 2015 by making eight cuts in a row and earning a top-five finish in the Farmers Insurance Open. He faltered some at the Northern Trust Open and Honda Classic, but if you draw a line through those performances, his past few tournaments have shown promise.

Most recently he finished in a tie for fifth at the Shell Houston Open, tied for 21st in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tied for 10th at the Valspar Championship.

Dave Shedloski of GolfDigest.com wrote: "But as good as Charles Howell is, you keep waiting for more. So you have to ask, when will more arrive? It's a hard question, but the answer is even harder, because golf conspires so readily with uncertainty."

Maybe it’s at the Zurich Classic for the two-time tour winner whose last victory came in 2007.

Honorable Mention: Cameron Tringale

Prediction

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Winner: Justin Rose

There was something that came alive in Rose at the Masters. Even when he got in trouble, he scrambled around the greens with aplomb.

On Saturday, he was the big mover playing his way into the final pairing. He couldn’t make a significant dent in Spieth’s lead, but he didn’t wilt either.

With players like Johnson, Day and Bradley, there’s some major quality talent here, and that will bring the best out of Rose and earn him his first win in nearly a year.