Shane Lowry is set to join forces with Brooks Koepka for the upcoming Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a PGA Tour team competition held at TPC Louisiana. The duo will be one of 80 pairs battling for the trophy, joining the defending champions Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, who returned after narrowly edging the Danish brothers Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard by a single stroke to claim the 2025 title.
The event has a recent history of high‑profile pairings. Over the past two editions, Rory McIlroy and Lowry teamed up, capturing the championship in 2024 by defeating Martin Trainer and Chad Ramey in a dramatic playoff. Their victory was celebrated in style, as the pair performed a rousing rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” on stage, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
According to McIlroy, the partnership was born out of a "drunken lunch" after Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph in Rome in 2023: "I asked him [to play]," he told GOLF.com. "We had this really drunken lunch after the Ryder Cup last year. I said after, ‘You wanna play the Zurich together?’ And we were like, ‘yeah, let's do it.’" While McIlroy enjoys a brief hiatus from competitive golf after back‑to‑back green‑jackets at The Masters, Lowry is now paired with five‑time major champion Brooks Koepka. Koepka re‑joined the PGA Tour in January after a four‑year stint with LIV Golf, making his return a focal point of the tournament narrative.
The partnership is intriguing not only because the two have faced each other on opposite Ryder Cup sides in the past, but also because they are close friends who happen to live near each other in Florida. Both players bring an impressive résumé to the table. Lowry’s crowning achievement came at the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, and he has been a member of two victorious Ryder Cup squads. Koepka, meanwhile, boasts five major titles—including two U.S.
Opens and three PGA Championships—solidifying his reputation as one of the modern era’s most dominant major winners. Together they account for six major championships and a wealth of experience on golf’s biggest stages, making them early favorites for the Zurich Classic. However, the field is deep. Fresh off his second PGA Tour win of the season, Matt Fitzpatrick will be back in contention, this time alongside his younger brother Alex Fitzpatrick.
The Fitzpatrick brothers have enjoyed a remarkable few months; Matt climbed to No. 3 in the Official World Golf Rankings after triumphs at the Valspar Championship and a dramatic playoff victory over world‑No.
1 Scottie Scheffler at the RBC Heritage. Alex, meanwhile, captured his maiden DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open in March. The brothers missed the cut by two strokes when they entered the event last year, so they will be eager to improve on that performance. Rookie Marco Penge, a long‑driver from England, will make his Zurich Classic debut alongside fellow Englishman Matt Wallace.
Penge’s best finish on the PGA Tour to date is a tie for fourth at the Valspar Championship in March, and he hopes to translate that momentum into a strong showing in the team format. Aaron Rai also returns, paired with Sahith Theegala, who has already logged four top‑10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season. The Zurich Classic is unique on the PGA Tour calendar as the sole team‑based event. The competition uses a hybrid format: the first and third rounds are played as four‑ball, where each player hits his own ball and the lower score on each hole counts for the team.
The second and final rounds switch to foursomes, a true alternate‑shot format in which the partners share a single ball and take turns hitting shots, including alternating tee shots on each hole. After 36 holes, the top 33 teams and any ties advance to the weekend rounds.
In 2025 the cut line sat at ten strokes under par, and notable players such as Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama missed the weekend. If the leaders are still tied after the full 72 holes, a sudden‑death playoff will determine the champion.
This year’s purse has been increased from $9.2 million to $9.5 million, with the winning duo splitting roughly 14.45 percent—about $1.372 million each. In addition to the financial reward, each winner receives 400 FedExCup points, though no Official World Golf Ranking points are awarded for the event. Beyond the immediate prize, the victorious pair also secures exemptions into several marquee tournaments for the 2027 season, including the Players Championship and the PGA Championship, and they earn an automatic invitation to the Zurich Classic for the next two years. Sky Sports will broadcast live coverage of all four days.
Early‑round action begins at 1 p.m. on Thursday on Sky Sports Golf, with full coverage rolling out at 8 p.m.
The second round starts at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, again with full coverage at 8 p.m. Weekend play is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with prime‑time coverage commencing at 6 p.m.
each day. The tournament coincides with the first women’s major of the season, the Chevron Classic, which will also be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event.
With a blend of seasoned champions, rising stars, and intriguing partnerships, the Zurich Classic promises a compelling storyline from start to finish. Will Koepka and Lowry’s friendship and combined major‑winning pedigree be enough to outplay the seasoned Fitzpatrick brothers, the in‑form Penge‑Wallace team, or any of the other talented duos? Tune in throughout the week on Sky Sports to watch the drama unfold and find out which pair lifts the Zurich Classic trophy in New Orleans.