Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer continued their stunning Zurich Classic of New Orleans assault with the lead at 16-under after Saturday's foursomes round, holding off a charging Fitzpatrick brothers pairing as defending Open champion Shane Lowry and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka stunningly missed the cut.
The TPC Louisiana team event flips its format for the second and fourth rounds, switching from four-ball to alternate shot — a discipline that has historically separated contenders from pretenders. Smalley and Springer, who electrified Thursday with a record-tying 13-under 59 in best-ball, weathered the format change to retain a one-shot lead heading into the weekend.
England's Matt Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex turned in the round of the day, firing an alternate-shot 65 to climb into a share of second at 15-under. They join Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat plus Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge in the four-way logjam at T2, setting up a packed Sunday leaderboard. The Fitzpatricks' total of 65 in foursomes — typically the most punishing rotation on Tour — underlined Matt's recent surge to world No. 3 and added to his blistering month following his RBC Heritage playoff win over Scottie Scheffler.
The defending champions, Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin, who lifted the trophy at TPC Louisiana in 2025, continue their title defence in the chasing pack. Aaron Rai and Sahith Theegala sit T5 at 12-under, with Matt Wallace and Marco Penge a further shot back at T6.
The biggest casualty of the cut line was the marquee pairing of Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka. The two men, both major champions, came together for the first time in New Orleans after Lowry's regular partner Rory McIlroy opted to skip the event in his post-Masters schedule. Their rounds of 66 and 69 left them at 9-under — agonisingly one stroke shy of the 10-under cut line, which advanced 33 teams and ties to the weekend.
The miss was a sobering result for Lowry in particular, who has been one of the Zurich Classic's most consistent performers in recent seasons. Koepka, meanwhile, will turn his attention to the upcoming Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral, where he has been listed as the first alternate behind a field headlined by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Sunday's closing round reverts to four-ball — the format that produced Smalley and Springer's record opening — meaning birdies will be there for the taking. With four teams stacked one shot back and the Fitzpatrick brothers riding momentum from the day's lowest round, the leaders cannot afford to coast.
Smalley and Springer have never won on the PGA Tour as individuals or as a duo. A Sunday charge from any of the experienced teams behind them — particularly the major-winning Horschel-Hoge pairing — would test whether the leaders can convert a two-day cushion into a maiden Tour title. With two further rounds, including a foursomes finish on Sunday, the alternate-shot examination will return to determine who lifts the trophy at TPC Louisiana.
The tournament also sets up a sudden-death playoff if the leaders are tied after 72 holes — an outcome that, given the bunched leaderboard, looks increasingly possible. For Lowry and Koepka, an early flight home awaits. For everyone else still in New Orleans, two days of intense team golf remain.