'Drunken lunch' led to Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry teaming up for New Orleans
Rory McIlroy, left, and Shane Lowry of Team Europe at the Ryer Cup. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will team up for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana in April.
The tournament has been played in a team format since 2017.
It will be McIlroy's debut in the event while Lowry has played it four times. Partnered with Ian Poulter, he finished tied for 13th in 2022.
"Very excited," McIlroy told Golf.com when asked about the partnership.
"I asked him. We had this really drunken lunch the week after the Ryder Cup last year. I said to him, 'Do you want to play Zurich together?' We're like, 'Yeah'.
"His former partner is now on the Champions Tour, Pádraig Harrington. I've never played before so I'm looking forward to it."
Lowry, ranked 34th in the world, has been in good form this month on the PGA Tour. He finished tied for fourth at the Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches, third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tied for 19th, along with McIlroy, at The Players Championship. Over the weekend, despite being in contention at one stage, Lowry finished 29th at the Singapore Classic.
McIlroy, the world number two ranked player, started the year well, finishing second at the Dubai Invitational and winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January. However, in five events on the PGA Tour this season, he's has cracked the top 20 just once, that being at The Players Championship earlier this month.
Lowry and McIroy have played together for Europe in the last two Ryder Cups. In the 2021 competition, which Europe lost at Whistling Straits, they teamed up in the Friday fourball which they lost 4&3 to Tony Finau and Harris English.
"Both of these players have competed for Europe in Ryder Cup competition, so they are very accustomed to team play," said Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, which runs the tournament.
"It's always fun to see close friends partner in our unique format, and with their experience they will be both fan and on-course favourites."
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans takes place from April 25th - 28th. Last year's tournament was won by David Riley and Nick Hardy.
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