New Orleans Nonsense: There’s No Rhyme Or Reason To Team Play

First thing you need to know about this team play nonsense in New Orleans this week is that they’ll bend the rules to land a big-name player.

Brooks Koepka is the third-ranked player in the world and last time anyone saw him he was rolling on a secluded beach in the British Virgin Islands spending some quality topless time with his girlfriend.  Beats the heck out of Hilton Head Island, for sure.

So what does it take to pull Brooks away from the sun, sand, water and the hotness of his gal?  Little brother Chase is in desperate need of a payday.

Last year Brooks tried to do some charity work in New Orleans at this team event with non-tour member Mark Turnesa in tow, a guy who is spending his time trying to sell real estate in Palm Beach County.  That went over about like Dustin Johnson on the back nine at Harbor Town last week.  Brooksie and Mark couldn’t even shoot even par for 36 holes and were down the road — no dough for Turnesa.

This week Brooks might have more motivation.  His younger brother Chase has lost his European Tour Card and has been demoted to the Challenge Tour, the European equivalent of the Web.com.  Chase has earned about 2,700 Euros this season, which has him deep in the red over there.  So after the Turnesa fiasco, the PGA Tour will allow non-member Chase to team up with his big brother.  After all, New Orleans is desperate for some names and Brooks has one.

And speaking of guys who aren’t doing so well, looks like Ryan Palmer basically dumped fellow Texas Jordan Spieth after they shot four-under and missed the cut last year.  Another weird pairing last year was Jon Rahm and Wesley Bryan.  How did those two get together?  They missed the 36-hole cut.  Rahm has given Bryan the heave-ho and will team up with the guy who gave Spieth the heave-ho — Palmer.

So there’s all kind of behind-the-scenes stuff going on with this two-man team format stuff, which is another boring week if you ask us.  Hilton Head was bad enough with D.J. pooping all over himself on the back nine last Sunday.  It made for one ugly afternoon for the world’s No. 1.

There’s a lot of ugliness guaranteed this week as well, thanks to those two dreaded words — alternate shot.

The Ryder Cup has proven that Americans aren’t so hot at alternate shot.  Sends them reeling.

So what have we at the TPC New Orleans?  Two rounds of alternate shot.  Best ball on Thursday and Saturday, alternate shot on Friday and Sunday.  Nice, alternate shot when you’re struggling to make the cut then alternate shot again when you’re struggling to try and win.

Yuck.

Not sure the winners here last year are etched in anyone’s memory bank, except perhaps the guys who won.  For the record that was Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy — wow!

They shot an eye-popping 22-under par.

Some teams of note this week include an all-Aussie team — Jason Day and Adam Scott.  The Euros counter with Sergio as in Garcia and Tommy, as in Fleetwood.

And here’s the big news — Patrick Reed actually found someone who will play with him — Patrick Cantlay.

Imagine that.