It’s the most anticipated regular season PGA TOUR event of recent memory and six Australians will take their place in the new Zurich Classic teams event in New Orleans this week.

Modelled on the World Cup of Golf format played at Kingston Heath last year, the event will see 60 teams of two play two days of alternate shot and two days of best ball with full FedEx Cup points and TOUR exemptions available to both members of the winning team.

Jason Day and Rickie Fowler will be among the tournament’s biggest drawcards with Matt Jones, Geoff Ogilvy, Steven Bowditch, Ryan Ruffels and Cameron Smith also playing.

Bowditch teams with good mate Boo Weekley, Matt Jones with Ricky Barnes, Geoff Ogilvy pairs with Ian Poulter, Ryan Ruffels with Kyle Stanley and Cameron Smith with Jonas Blixt.

The change in format has captured the imagination of the golf world after almost 80 years as a traditional 72 hole strokeplay event.

Day and Fowler will be among the favourites as one of only two teams featuring two world top 10 ranked players.

Day hasn’t been at his best to this point in 2017 as he has struggled with his mother’s illness but Fowler has been in excellent form with a win and three other top five finishes in his last six starts.

But it will take more than just good form on course for success this week, players needing to gel both in strategy and personality to feature among the contenders.

In that category Boo Weekley and Steven Bowditch could easily surprise despite neither having strong seasons to date.

Bowditch’s struggles have been well recorded but Weekley, too, has failed to make an impact in 2017 with nine missed cuts in 16 starts.

However, the pair’s close off course friendship could work in their favour this week and neither will be playing with the burden of expectation.

Poulter and Ogilvy are an interesting combination. Poulter on a mission to regain his PGA TOUR card after a medical exemption and Ogilvy playing the season on a one time only career money list category.

Both have plenty to play for and if they can find some synchronicity in their games could be a formidable pairing.

In a similar position to Ogilvy and Bowditch is Matt Jones who lost his TOUR card at the end of 2016 and has only limited status this season.

Jones has played decent golf in his limited opportunities so far this year though the same can’t be said for his partner Barnes.

The American has missed 10 cuts in 16 starts and finished in the top 50 just once though the team format can suit a player out of form.

For Cameron Smith a maiden PGA TOUR win in 2017 seems likely and his play in Texas last week saw him in genuine contention for much of the weekend.

While he ultimately faded Sunday the experience will have been invaluable and his combination with a player of similar style this week in Jonas Blixt could prove fruitful.

But perhaps the player with the most to play for in New Orleans will be Ryan Ruffels who is yet to find a full time international Tour to play.

The super talented teen has been chosen by Kyle Stanley as his partner, the American putting together a quietly good season in 2017.

Stanley has two top 10’s for the year and has missed just two cuts in 13 starts while Ruffels has teed up just twice on the PGA TOUR LatinoAmerica for a T37 and T12 finish.

At just 18 Ruffels remains one of the game’s brightest prospects and his social media activity this week suggests he is keen for the challenge in New Orleans where a victory would earn him a PGA TOUR card.