This week, Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka are set to join forces at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event held at TPC Louisiana. They will be part of a competitive field of 80 teams, including defending champions Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, who won the title in 2025 by a single stroke against Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard. In previous years, Lowry has partnered with Rory McIlroy, and the duo claimed the championship in 2024 after defeating Martin Trainer and Chad Ramey in a playoff.

Their victory celebration, which included a rendition of 'Don't Stop Believin'' by Journey, 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 victory in the 2023 Ryder Cup. McIlroy recalled the moment, saying, '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 is currently taking a break from golf after securing back-to-back Green Jackets at The Masters, Lowry has partnered with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka. Koepka recently returned to the PGA Tour in January after spending four years competing in LIV Golf.

The partnership between Lowry and Koepka is unique, given their past as opponents in the Ryder Cup. However, they are close friends and neighbors in Florida. Combined, they boast an impressive six major titles and extensive experience on the big stage.

Lowry won The Open in 2019 at Royal Portrush and has been part of two Ryder Cup-winning teams. Koepka's trophy cabinet includes five majors, with two US Opens and three PGA Championships. Koepka and Lowry are among the favorites to win this week, but they face stiff competition.

Fresh from his second PGA Tour victory of the 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 following his victories at the Valspar Championship and the RBC Heritage, where he outlasted world No.

1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff. Alex Fitzpatrick has also been in excellent form, winning his maiden DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open in March. Although the brothers participated in the event last year, they missed the cut by two strokes. PGA Tour rookie Marco Penge will make his debut at the tournament alongside fellow Englishman Matt Wallace.

Penge has impressed this year, with his best result being a T4 finish at The Valspar Championship in March. Aaron Rai returns to action this week, partnering with Sahith Theegala, who has four top-10 finishes so far this year on the PGA Tour. The Zurich Classic is the only team event on the PGA Tour calendar, featuring a four-ball format in 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 will be played in 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 spot at the weekend. In the event of a draw after 72 holes, a sudden-death playoff will determine the winning team.

There is significant prize money at stake, with the PGA Tour increasing the purse for The Zurich Classic from $9.2m to $9.5m. The winning team will share 14.45 percent of the prize, expected to be around $1.372m.

The winners will also receive 400 FedExCup points each, although no Official World Golf Ranking points are available. The champions will gain entry to prominent tournaments in the 2027 season, including The Players Championship and The PGA Championship, as well as 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, followed by full coverage from 8 pm on Thursday. 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 both Saturday and Sunday, with full coverage starting at 6 pm.

In addition to The Zurich Classic, the first women's major of the year, The Chevron Classic, will also take place, broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event. Who will emerge victorious at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans?

Tune in throughout the week for live coverage on Sky Sports, starting with Featured Groups on Thursday from 1 pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 8 pm.