Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin captured their maiden PGA Tour victories Sunday, teaming up to win the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a final-round 1-under 71 in alternate-shot play, finishing at 28-under 260 to edge Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard by one stroke at TPC Louisiana.
The North Carolina natives, who started the day with a three-shot lead, leaned on Griffin’s clutch 35-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to break a tie with Jake Knapp and Frankie Capan III, who bogeyed the hole after Capan’s tee shot found water. The decisive putt gave Novak and Griffin a two-shot cushion, allowing them to par the par-5 18th for the victory in the PGA Tour’s only team event.
“It’s like a movie script, unreal,” Novak said. “Ben carried us down the stretch. That putt on 17 was huge, and I couldn’t ask for a better guy to share this with.”
Novak, 30, and Griffin, 28, each earned $1,329,400 and 400 FedEx Cup points, with Novak jumping to No. 6 in the season standings. The win marked Novak’s 100th career start and Griffin’s 90th, coming a week after Novak’s playoff loss to Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage. Novak became the first player since Patrick Cantlay in 2022 to lose in a playoff and win the following week, coincidentally also at the Zurich Classic.
The duo navigated a 93-minute weather delay on the eighth hole and a shaky front nine, carding three birdies and three bogeys. They steadied with seven straight pars before Griffin’s heroics on 17. Novak credited their chemistry, honed through years of practice together at Sea Island, Georgia.
“We’ve been close so many times,” Griffin said. “To get it done together, it’s special. We knew it was only a matter of time.”
The Højgaard twins, Nicolai and Rasmus, finished second at 27-under with a 68, bolstered by Nicolai’s 42-foot birdie on the 14th. Knapp and Capan III took third at 26-under with a 71. Four teams—David Lipsky/Dylan Wu, Taylor Dickson/Trace Crowe, Karl Vilips/Michael Thorbjornsen, and Luke List/Henrik Norlander—tied for fourth at 25-under.
Defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, who shot a 70, faded to a tie for 12th at 22-under after three bogeys in five holes on the back nine. McIlroy and Lowry, three shots off the lead at the 13th, drew a large gallery, with Lowry’s birdie on 18 and McIlroy’s playful toss of the ball into the water delighting fans.
Novak and Griffin’s victory secures their PGA Tour cards for two years and spots in the remaining 2025 Signature Events, including the upcoming PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. The Zurich Classic, played in four-ball and foursomes formats over 72 holes, showcased the duo’s resilience and teamwork, etching their names among the event’s storied winners.
