This week, Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka will join forces at the TPC Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event that features 80 teams vying for the top spot. The defending champions, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, are back after their one-shot victory over Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard in 2025.
Previously, Lowry had partnered with Rory McIlroy in this competition for two years, with the duo claiming the championship title in 2024 by defeating Martin Trainer and Chad Ramey in a playoff. Their victory celebration, which included a rendition of Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'' on stage, left fans in stitches.
The decision for McIlroy and Lowry to team up initially came about after a casual, alcohol-fueled lunch following Team Europe's win in the 2023 Ryder Cup. As McIlroy takes a break from golf after securing back-to-back Green Jackets at The Masters, Lowry has teamed up with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, who returned to the PGA Tour in January after spending four years with LIV Golf.
The partnership between Lowry and Koepka is unique, given their past as opponents in the Ryder Cup, but they are close friends and neighbors in Florida. Together, they boast six major titles and extensive experience on the big stage. Lowry won The Open in 2019 and has been part of two Ryder Cup-winning teams, while Koepka's trophy cabinet includes five majors, comprising two US Opens and three PGA Championships. Although Koepka and Lowry are among the favorites to win, they face stiff competition.
Fresh from his second PGA Tour victory this season, Matt Fitzpatrick will team up with his younger brother Alex Fitzpatrick. The Fitzpatrick brothers have had a memorable few months, with Matt rising to No. 3 in the Official World Golf Rankings after his victories at the Valspar Championship and the RBC Heritage, where he outlasted world No.
1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff. Alex has also been in excellent form, securing his maiden DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open in March. PGA Tour rookie Marco Penge will make his debut at the tournament alongside fellow Englishman Matt Wallace.
Meanwhile, Aaron Rai returns to action alongside Sahith Theegala, who has posted four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this year. The Zurich Classic is the only team event on the PGA Tour calendar, with teams competing in a four-ball format during the first and third rounds, where each golfer plays their own ball and the lowest score on each hole counts.
The second and final rounds adopt a foursomes format, with players alternating shots using one ball, and the total strokes taken resulting in the team's score for each hole. After the first two rounds, the top 33 teams and ties will progress to the weekend. Last year's cut line was set at -10, with notable players like Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama missing out on a weekend spot.
In the event of a draw after 72 holes, a sudden-death playoff will determine the winning team. With the prize purse increased from $9.2m to $9.5m, the winners will share 14.45 percent of the prize, expected to be around $1.372m. The winning team will also receive 400 FedExCup points each, although no Official World Golf Rankings points are available. The champions will gain entry to significant tournaments in the 2027 season, including The Players Championship and The PGA Championship, and will receive an exemption to play at The Zurich Classic for the next two years.
Sky Sports will provide live coverage of all four tournament days, starting with early round coverage at 1 pm on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 8 pm on Thursday. Action from the second round will begin at 1:45 pm on Friday, with full coverage starting at 8 pm on Sky Sports Golf. Weekend coverage will commence at 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday on Sky Sports Golf, with full coverage starting at 6 pm on both days. The first women's major of the year, The Chevron Classic, will also begin on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Main Event.
Tune in throughout the week to catch the Zurich Classic of New Orleans live on Sky Sports.