The PGA Tour have been at pains to promote this week's Zurich Golf team classic with the event going head to head with the latest LIV tournament.
Indeed, the prize money available to players is also enticing, with the format inevitably going to draw comparisons with the team competition element of the Saudi backed tour. The competition initially switched to a team event in 2017, but never before has such emphasis been placed on it by PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan and co as the threat of LIV continues to hover over the status quo.
The 160-man field has been split into 80 two-man teams for the tournament, which got under way on Thursday. The top 80 ranked players available on the PGA Tour, of which Rory McIlroy was not one of them, getting the luxury of picking their playing partner.
