Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka are set to join forces for this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a PGA Tour team competition held at TPC Louisiana. Their partnership adds another intriguing storyline to a field of 80 duos all vying for the coveted trophy. The defending champions, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, will be back after edging out the Danish brothers Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard by a single shot in the 2025 edition. Griffin and Novak will be looking to repeat their success, but they now face a deeper and more experienced roster of competitors.
Rory McIlroy and Lowry have already proven their chemistry in the same event, winning the title in 2024 by defeating Martin Trainer and Chad Ramey in a dramatic playoff. Their celebration became an instant classic, as the pair broke into a full‑blown performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” onstage, much to the delight of the crowd. The partnership was reportedly born after a “drunken lunch” celebrating Team Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph in Rome the previous year.
McIlroy recalled to GOLF.com, “I asked him to play, we had this really drunken lunch after the Ryder Cup, and I said, ‘You wanna play the Zurich together?’ He said yes, and that was that.” While McIlroy enjoys a brief hiatus from competitive golf after back‑to‑back Green Jacket victories at The Masters, Lowry is now paired with five‑time major champion Brooks Koepka. Koepka, who rejoined the PGA Tour in January after a four‑year stint with LIV Golf, brings a wealth of experience and a fierce competitive edge.
The two are good friends and even share a residence in Florida, a fact that adds a comfortable, familiar vibe to their collaboration. Both players bring an impressive résumé to the table. Lowry captured The Open Championship in 2019 at Royal Portrush and has been a vital member of two Ryder Cup‑winning European squads.
Koepka, meanwhile, boasts five major titles, including two U.S. Open crowns and three PGA Championships, cementing his status as one of the modern era’s most dominant majors players.
Together, they combine six major victories and a deep familiarity with high‑pressure situations, making them early favorites. Nevertheless, the competition will be fierce. Matt Fitzpatrick, fresh off his second PGA Tour win of the season, will be back in the mix alongside his younger brother, Alex Fitzpatrick.
Matt’s recent triumphs at the Valspar Championship and the RBC Heritage – the latter after a playoff win over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler – have propelled him to No. 3 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Alex, who claimed his first DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open in March, is also riding a wave of confidence.
The brothers missed the cut by just two strokes in the previous year’s Zurich Classic, a disappointment they are eager to erase. Rookie Marco Penge, a long‑driver from England, will make his Zurich Classic debut with fellow Englishman Matt Wallace. Penge’s best finish on the PGA Tour so far is a tied‑fourth at the Valspar Championship, and he hopes to translate that form into a strong team showing. Aaron Rai will also return, paired with Sahith Theegala, who has already posted four top‑10 finishes this season.
The Zurich Classic is unique on the PGA Tour calendar as the only team‑based event. The format alternates between four‑ball and foursomes play. In the first and third rounds, each player plays his own ball and the lower score on each hole counts for the team (four‑ball). The second and final rounds switch to a foursomes format, where teammates alternate shots using a single ball; the combined strokes determine the team’s score for each hole, and players also alternate tee shots.
After 36 holes, the top 33 teams and ties advance to the weekend. Last year’s cut line sat at –10, and notable players such as Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama missed the weekend.
If a tie persists after 72 holes, a sudden‑death playoff will decide the champion. The tournament’s purse has been increased this year from $9.2 million to $9.5 million, with the winning pair splitting roughly 14.45 percent – about $1.372 million each – and each receiving 400 FedExCup points (though no OWGR points are awarded).
In addition, the victors earn invitations to marquee events for the 2027 season, including The Players Championship and The PGA Championship, and secure an exemption to compete at the Zurich Classic for the next two years. Sky Sports will broadcast the entire event live across all four days. Early‑round coverage begins at 1 p.m. on Thursday on Sky Sports Golf, with full coverage kicking in at 8 p.m.
The second round starts at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, again moving to full coverage at 8 p.m. Weekend action will be shown from 2 p.m.
with full coverage from 6 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Concurrently, the first women’s major of the season, the Chevron Classic, will also launch on Thursday, airing live on Sky Sports Main Event. With Koepka’s power game, Lowry’s precision, and a field stacked with seasoned veterans and rising stars, the Zurich Classic promises drama, camaraderie, and high‑stakes golf. Whether the new duo can translate friendship and complementary skill sets into a winning performance remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the tournament will deliver compelling storylines from start to finish. Watch the action live on Sky Sports and see which partnership lifts the trophy at the end of the week.