A star-studded duo, Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka, narrowly missed the cut by a single stroke, marking their early exit from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. This event holds special significance for Lowry, who previously won it two years ago when paired with Rory McIlroy. With McIlroy absent this year, Lowry teamed up with the accomplished Brooks Koepka, a five-time major winner. Their journey began with a promising 66 in the fourballs on Thursday but was followed by a 69 in the foursomes, culminating in a total of nine under par, just shy of the cut mark of 10 under.
Meanwhile, Matt Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex Fitzpatrick made a significant surge up the leaderboard with a stunning seven-under 65 on Friday, catapulting them into a share of second place after 36 holes. The American pair, Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, maintained their lead at the top of the standings, achieving 16 under par after a round of 70, which included back-to-back birdies.
They hold a slender one-stroke advantage over the Fitzpatrick brothers and two other competing pairs. The Fitzpatrick brothers began Friday's foursomes six shots behind Smalley and Springer but significantly closed the gap to just one stroke going into Saturday, courtesy of the day's lowest round. A victory in New Orleans would be the crowning jewel in a memorable few months for the Fitzpatrick family.
Matt Fitzpatrick has been on a remarkable run, ascending to No. 3 in the Official World Golf Rankings following his triumphant performances at the Valspar Championship and the RBC Heritage, where he outperformed world No.
1 Scottie Scheffler in a thrilling play-off. Alex Fitzpatrick has also been in superb form, securing his maiden DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open in March.
The brothers had previously participated in the event last year but unfortunately missed the cut by two strokes. Tied with the Fitzpatricks in second place are Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat, as well as Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge, all of whom are at 15 under par. There is additional English interest, with Aaron Rai and his American partner Sahith Theegala at 12 under, while Matt Wallace and Marco Penge trail closely behind at 11 under par.
The Zurich Classic, the only team event on the PGA Tour calendar, features a unique format where teams compete in four-ball during the first and third rounds, with each golfer playing their own ball and the lowest score on each hole counting. The format shifts to foursomes in the second and final rounds, where players alternate shots with one ball, and the total strokes taken determine the team's score for each hole, with players alternating tee shots throughout.
After the first two rounds, the top 33 teams and ties proceed to the weekend, with a sudden-death play-off scheduled in the event of a draw after 72 holes. This week's tournament holds significant stakes, with the prize purse for The Zurich Classic increased from $9.2m to $9.5m. The winning team will share 14.45 percent of the prize, estimated to be around $1.372m. Additionally, the winning players will each receive 400 FedExCup points, although no Official World Golf Rankings points are at stake.
The champions will also secure entry into prominent tournaments for the 2027 season, including The Players Championship and The PGA Championship, along with an exemption to participate in The Zurich Classic for the next two years.