The Zurich Classic is a wonky tournament to handicap given the partner format. Each day, players will rotate playing best ball and alternate shot. The scoring conditions at TPC Louisiana historically are very easy. Given the playing conditions and the format, birdies will be a premium.

This week, I want to find the best putters in the field. Over the last three years, here are the twelve best putters on over-seeded greens:

If you're active in the Discord you know of my affinity for Mullinax. Why, you ask? I'm honestly not sure. But his story is inspiring. Mullinax has been on and off the PGA Tour since he turned pro in 2014. He once Monday-qualified for a tournament, then finished 8th, at one point declining a free drop and hitting from a hospitality tent. He also finished 9th at the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills in his first-ever major. But Mullinax' story is more inspiring than a few solid finishes.

During a pro-am in 2019, Mullinax was hit in the head by a ball and was diagnosed with a mild concussion, but his headaches lasted for weeks and seriously affected his play. He's not the flashiest golfer, but he is a long hitter who can get hot with the putter -- a recipe for success at TPC Louisiana. He'll be in my single bullet purely out of respect, and he should garner a little of your respect this week as well. Oh, he's playing with Robby Shelton. I guess I should mention that since it's a team event.

Okay, as everyone knows, 2025 is a Ryder Cup year. Yet not just is it a Ryder Cup year, it’s also a Ryder Cup year at Bethpage: a golf course very special to me, and even more pertinent to my ISN colleague, Brian Kirschner, who lives just a 5 iron away. In fact, Bethpage was how our friendship began. The first time we ever met, I stayed in his childhood bedroom before we woke up at 4:30 AM the following morning to tackle the Black course. 

To share my excitement about my favorite event coming home to New York, I wanted to create a monthly Ryder Cup power ranking for the next nine months leading into the event. On the first week of every month, I will track my projected team, based on who I believe is most likely and should be at Bethpage. I am now taking into account the automatic qualifiers, so if they have a Q next to their name, this means they are qualified for the team at this moment in time. Each month I will move players up and down accordingly, and it should be a fun way for everyone to track how the teams stack up as we near the September festivities. Hope you enjoy. 

APRIL 

United States 

1. Q: Scottie Scheffler (Last Month: 1)

2. Q: Xander Schauffele (Last Month: 2)

3. Q: Collin Morikawa (Last Month: 3)

4. Q: Bryson DeChambeau (Last Month: 5)

5. Q: Russell Henley (Last Month: 9)

6. Q: Justin Thomas (Last Month: 4)

7. Patrick Cantlay (Last Month: 6)

8. Patrick Reed (Last Month: N/A)

9. Brooks Koepka (Last Month: 7)

10. Daniel Berger (Last Month: 16)

11. Sam Burns (Last Month: 8)

12. Akshay Bhatia (Last Month: 13)

The Bubble

1. Maverick McNealy (Last Month: 12)

2. Keegan Bradley (Last Month: 11)

3. Wyndham Clark (Las Month: 15)

4. Jordan Spieth (Last Month: 20)

5. Brian Harman (Last Month: N/A)

6. Tony Finau (Last Month: 10)

7. Will Zalatoris (Last Month: 17)

8. Davis Thompson (Last Month: 19)

Newly On the Team: Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger, Askhay Bhatia 

New Off the Team: Tony Finau, Keegan Bradley, Maverick McNealy 

Newly On the Bubble: Brian Harman 

Newly Off the Bubble: Sahith Theegala 

Europe

1. Q: Rory McIlroy (DG: 2)

2. Q: Tyrrell Hatton (DG: 12)

3. Q: Justin Rose (DG: 60)

4. Q: Rasmus Højgaard (DG: 90)

5. Q: Shane Lowry (DG: 14)

6. Q: Ludvig Aberg (DG: 6)

7. Jon Rahm (DG: 3)

8. Tommy Fleetwood (DG: 9)

9. Viktor Hovland (DG: 21)

10. Sepp Straka (DG: 19)

11. Robert MacIntyre (DG: 28)

12. Sergio Garcia (DG: 20)

The Bubble 

1. Aaron Rai (DG: 25)

2. Matt Fitzpatrick (DG: 99)

3. David Puig (DG: 46)

4. Thomas Detry (DG: 76)

5. Tom McKibbin (DG: 62)

6. Rasmus Neergard Peterson (DG: 58)

7. Stephan Jaeger (DG: 59)

8. Harry Hall (DG: 69)

Newly on the Team: Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia 

Newly Off the Team: Matt Fitzpatrick, Thomas Detry

Newly On the Bubble: Rasmus Neergard Peterson, Stephan Jaeger, Harry Hall 

Newly Off the Bubble: Nicolai Hojgaard, Niklaas Norgaard, Alex Noren

Every offseason, particularly in the NFL and NBA, you see athletes post training and workout videos with their fellow competitors. This can be attributed to a lot of guys using the same trainers.

If you really dive into it, as a Sixers fan, do I find it weird that Joel Embiid is working out and learning from superstar Jayson Tatum from the Celtics with the same basketball trainer?

If you asked a basketball fan who grew up watching the battles between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 80s, they would probably find this pretty odd. 

However, with this new generation of athletes who grow up competing against each other on AAU basketball circuit, 7 on 7 summer football camps, and in golf on the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) tour, it’s not as uncommon as you might think. 

In all professional sports leagues, the majority of these athletes are friends and workout with each other in the off-season to learn a thing or two from one another. 

Contrary, in professional golf, you don’t see this documented on social media much at all.

What I found fascinating from Justin Thomas’s press conference after his win at the RBC Heritage was his answer to a question about how he has improved his putting, which is well-known as his kryptonite. 

Here is his answer to the question:

JT credited his improvement to a 2-3 hour putting session with reigning PGA and Open Champion Xander Schauffele. JT picked Xander’s brain on his process and routine, and JT decided to go back to the same routine as he did in 2016-2018, when he was winning numerous events on the PGA Tour.  

Whatever Xander told JT to change with his putting has been paying dividends so far in 2025.. This season, JT ranks 24th on tour in putting, way better than last season when he finished the year in 174th in putting. 

It’s quite evident when you watch JT on the greens this season, compared to years past, he is more confident with the flatstick. 

In the professional golf ecosystem, players mostly come off as isolated and private about themselves, and I thought JT’s transparency and willingness to discuss his work with Xander was phenomenal. 

These are the types of stories that golf fans love to consistently hear. We always hear about when players switch equipment manufacturers and swing coaches, but it’s nice to be able to hear stories of how players learn from others.

While Justin Thomas was battling Andrew Novak in a playoff at the RBC Heritage, and ultimately closing out his first win in 1,000+ days, there was another PGA Tour tournament going on. 

The alternate field event being played was the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic. For the majority of the tournament, a fan favorite from Netflix’s Full Swing documentary series on the PGA Tour was the leader of the pack. 

All Joel Dahmen had to do was par out on the final three holes to comfortably win his first PGA Tour event since 2021, which also came at Puntacana. 

Dahmen would go on to bogey the final three holes and fall short to South African golfer Garrick Higgo. Dahmen’s worst moment on Sunday came on the 17th hole on Sunday, where he lipped out a tap in par putt, a putt that he probably makes 99 out of 100 times.

After a heartbreaking loss, instead of declining to speak to the media, Dahmen faced the music and answered every question. If you haven’t already, here is the minute and a half clip of Dahmen’s press conference:

One of the most intriguing quotes from Dahmen was, “All of the sudden, I lost the golf tournament.” 

Dahmen was in disbelief after choking down the stretch. I give Dahmen a lot of credit for answering these questions authentically and sharing what he was truly feeling. 

You might think some of this is silly about how impressive it was for Dahmen to share all his emotions after a loss, considering that it’s his job and obligation to talk to the media post rounds. 

Over the last year or so, a couple of players, the biggest one being Rory McIIroy, have decided not to speak to the media after poor rounds. McIlory declined to speak after the first round of the Masters this year and most notably following the final round of the 2025 U.S. Open. 

Collin Morikawa this year has been in a frenzy with the media for saying certain comments like “I don’t owe you guys anything,” at this year's Masters.

Dahmen took the situation head on and controlled his own narrative. If Dahmen declined to speak to the media, they likely would have run with a headline of how bad of a choke it was. 

However, instead of dodging, Dahmen created a narrative of how exceptional his post round interview was, and the media ran with that storyline.

Dahmen has played exceptional golf this year, speaking with his iron play. A bounce back win could very well be coming soon for the fan favorite.

Huge week for our ISN staff. Our very own Twitterless Steve had a Justin Thomas 22/1 outright ticket and Joey Molisani hJustin Thomas in our Staff Picks contest. Additionally, RB hit Garrick Higgo due to Joel Dahmen’s collapse!