The Zurich Classic is unique on the PGA Tour not just for its format, but also where walk-up music is part of the feature programming.
Each playing duo has chosen the perfect anthem for their tee shots during the weekend, and somehow, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X was chosen four times and “Baby Shark” made the list twice. Naturally, I spent the better part of my morning listening to all 38 songs on Spotify to determine their rank based on a complex rating system: my opinion.
Let’s get to it.
1 — I’m Shipping Up to Boston, Dropkick Murphys – The bagpipes and drums in this song really get you going and that’s the point of a good hype song.
2 — Enter Sandman, Metallica – Another song you just can’t go wrong with. While the intro is long, it moves in a way that makes you feel like something awesome is coming.
3 — Power, Kanye – Love him or hate him, Kanye is a musical genius and this is a fantastic hype song.
4 — Mo Money Mo Problems, Notorious B.I.G. – You just can’t go wrong with Biggie in any situation really. Kudos.
5 — High Hopes, Panic! At the Disco – Disclaimer: Panic! is one of my favorite bands, but regardless of the fact that Brendan Urie has the voice of an angel, this song is high octane and a radio hit. You can’t argue with the radio.
6 — All The Small Things, Blink 182 – A classic Blink 182 song that you can’t go wrong with IMO.
7 — Young Forever, Jay-Z – Being Young Forever is never a bad thing in golf, or in life. And this song is always a good choice.
8 — 2019, Bazanji – Throughout the rating process, this song offered a great surprise. Good beat, clever lyrics, five stars.
9 — Girls Girls Girls, Motley Crue – Motley Crue is 80’s Rock at its finest. Can’t go wrong with this choice.
10 — Old Town Road, Lil Nas X – This is clearly a popular choice, but it’s a bit ridiculous. All I can say is they better play the remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.
11 — When the Saints Go March In , Louis Armstrong – This song gets bonus points because the tournament is hosted in New Orleans. Though it’s a classic, I’m not sure it fits the hype song vibe the crowd desires.
12 — The Saints, Andy Mineo – This song is not at all what I expected, in the best way possible.
13 — Beware of the Boys, Punjabi MC – This song was unknown to me until this ranking, but it’s got a fun beat that will get the crowd going and introduce them to a new genre. This rater gives it two thumbs up.
14 — Whoomp! There It Is, Tag Team – A fun, albeit slightly overdone rap song. The 20 seconds of shoutouts at the beginning better be cut.
15 — Trophies, Drake – Echoes the hard work it takes to make it on Tour, but if the Tour insists on playing the clean version, this song has a lot of dead space.
16 — Tear It Up, Yung Wun – This song conjures up memories of Nick Cannon in “Drumline,” and the music in that movie is great, so this song is great by association.
17 — 1942, G-Eazy – This song feels like a subtle troll of the PGA. The first line: “I don’t follow rules and they don’t like that.”
18 — Uproar, Lil Wayne – Lil Wayne is a talented rapper, and a golf enthusiast. They will have to bleep out a lot of this song, but the beat still gets you going.
19 — Wake Me Up, Avicii – This song feels appropriate for the duo of Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell and provides an upbeat burst of energy. Quality choice.
20 — Born on the Bayou, Creedence Clearwater Revival – Southern and catchy, this song is appropriate and will have the crowd clapping along.
21 — Bad Boy for Life, P. Diddy – This song summons the toughness competitors like to amp themselves up, so it’s a good choice from that perspective.
22 — Fat Bottomed Girls, Queen – The song starts slow and has several seconds of dead air, so depending on which section of the song actually gets played, this could be hit or miss, but it’s Queen.
23 — Lean on Me, Bill Withers – A cute song for a team event and it’s one the entire crowd will be able to sing along to.
24 — Down and Out, Tantric – The heavy intro will definitely pump the guys up.
25 — As Good As I Once Was, Toby Keith – The song has a fun, upbeat vibe which is never a bad thing for walk-up music.
26 — Radio Gaga, Queen – Not Queen’s best. Not their worst.
27 — Good Ol’ Boys, Waylan Jennings – A little slow for walk-up music, but it’s a recognizable tune that will do the job.
28 — Killing in the Name, Rage Against the Machine – I’m not sure a song with a 40-second intro really fits the occasion.
29 — Cloudburst, Oasis – At five minutes, 23 seconds, this song takes a while to get going, so they better choose the right part to play for the walk-up.
30 — Suicide Blonde, INXS – This choice by the Aussie duo of Jason Day and Adam Scott introduced me to a song I’d never heard but didn’t particularly like. Maybe that will change over time.
31 — Callin’ Baton Rouge, Garth Brooks – Appropriately country, with a good (if annoying) beat. I may be letting my dislike for country cloud my judgment on this one.
32 — Bawitdaba, Kid Rock – This song gets off to a sloooow start. It’s okay once it gets going, but I don’t want to wait that long. Next.
33 — Scooby Doo Pa Pa, DJ Kass – This song is mostly the artist saying “Scooby Doo Pa Pa boom boom boom boom boom.” If you get past that, it’s not terrible and has a good beat, but out of the songs on this list, it’s just alright.
34 — Renegade, Styx – This one is just meh.
35 — Ground Theme, Super Mario Bros. – Really? They want to walk up to some digital tunes that two mustachioed cartoons run around to on a video game? Okay, I guess?
36 — We Can’t Be Beaten, Angry Anderson – The theme of the song is nice, but I couldn’t find it on Spotify and the YouTube video I watched had pretty bad sound quality, so it’s hard to tell if this song is actually any good.
37 — City Life, Rebelution – This song’s mellow beat and reggae vibe makes it stand out from the crowd, but it feels a little too calm and sad for a walk-up song.
38 — Baby Shark, Pinkfong – The Jaws-esque start to this song is the best part. But when you think about the fact that grown men are voluntarily walking up to this at a professional golf tournament, it just feels awkward.
