5 Players Who Could Change Their Career Trajectory at Zurich Classic

No matter who you are or what industry you work in, it never hurts to get a little career progression assistance in your chosen profession.

Professional golfers are no different.

Granted, there aren’t too many occasions for this in such an individual pursuit. Maybe a player takes advantage of a sponsor’s exemption; maybe he gets a putting tip from a fellow pro. Usually, though, a guy has to create his own luck – the answer to 99 percent of professional golfer problems can be summed up with #playbetter.

That’s not necessarily the case this week, however, as several players without PGA Tour status will team with members at the Zurich Classic two-man event in hopes of improving the trajectories of their own careers.

Here are five who could do exactly that – not just players who could use a win (hey, who couldn’t?), but those whose careers could change if it happens.

5 Players Who Could Change Their Career Trajectory at Zurich Classic

Blades Brown

In the second event of this PGA Tour season, Brown contended for the American Express title, playing in Sunday’s final group before eventually finishing in a share of 11^th place. Since then, the 18-year-old has a top-three finish on the PGA Tour and two more on the Korn Ferry Tour, including a runner-up this past weekend.

His immense talent is already obvious, but long-term success is never a given – and if he wants a reminder of that, he needs only ask his partner this week, as Luke Clanton was a top-five machine as an amateur, then turned pro, took up status and has continued to struggle ever since. It’s been said that getting there is half the battle and Brown would love to clinch it now rather than waiting another six months. 

Alex Fitzpatrick

One week after 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick won the Valspar Championship last month, his younger brother Alex claimed a victory at the Hero Indian Open on the DP World Tour. Older bro has once again wrested away the title of Most Recent Winner in the Family with his triumph at the RBC Heritage this past weekend and now he has an opportunity to carry Alex with him on to the PGA Tour.

It might happen anyway, as the Wake Forest product is currently seventh in the Race to Dubai ranking, but he’d earn immediate status if they can muster a combined win this week. Considering their recent success and the inherent motivation, there’s a decent chance it could take place.

Martin Couvra

Much like Alex Fitzpatrick, Couvra is taking a break from his DP schedule to compete in the U.S. this week. Unlike Fitzpatrick, he might need it more, as the 23-year-old hasn’t been quite as good as he was last year, currently ranking 31^st on the points list. If he needs some inspiration, it should come in the form of his teammate this week and fellow Frenchman, as Matthieu Pavon earned PGA Tour membership from the Euro circuit two years ago, then won in his third start at Torrey Pines. No better place than New Orleans to laissez les bons temps rouler.

Adam Hadwin

Starting last season, the PGA Tour went from 125 guaranteed cards to 100, with those on the outside receiving only conditional status. Hadwin finished at No. 139, which banished him to professional golf purgatory, where so far this year, the former PGA Tour winner has played three tournaments on that circuit and five on the Korn Ferry.

It’s a weird place to be for a guy who was competing in signature events just a few years ago. This week, he’ll team with fellow Canadian Adam Svensson in an attempt to regain that previous status.

Brooks Koepka

Which one of these things is not like the other? Alright, I’ll admit that a Koepka victory while paired with Shane Lowry this week might not change his career, considering he’s already a five-time major champion, but it will certainly change his next few weeks, which could in turn change how he plays a few of those upcoming majors.

Here’s the rub: Each of the next two tourneys, the Cadillac Championship and Truist Championship, are signature events which Koepka has not yet been able to qualify for since returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf. If he wins this week – or perhaps just comes close – he could parlay the performance into a couple of big-time events where he could also keep those competitive juices flowing into next month’s PGA Championship. If he doesn’t get into those events, though, he’ll be coming to Aronimink cold, without having played an individual stroke-play event since the Masters. You know he’d love to avoid doing that.