Rory McIlroy will play in the PGA Tour's only team event for the first time this season after a "drunken lunch" with Shane Lowry led to the Irish duo joining forces.
Northern Irishman McIlroy has never played in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but the four-time major champion will team up with County Offaly native Lowry for the pairs event at TPC Louisiana from April 25-28. The format sees the teams play fourballs in rounds one and three and foursomes in rounds two and four.
The pairing was announced on Monday and McIlroy revealed the deal was struck amid the alcohol-infused celebrations in the aftermath of Europe's triumph at the Ryder Cup in October.
“I asked him [to play],” McIlroy told GOLF.com. “You know it was actually, we had this really drunken lunch after the Ryder Cup last year, and I said after, ‘You wanna play the Zurich together?’ And we were like, yeah, let’s do it.”
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Lowry has played in the event three times since it became a team format in 2017, teaming up with Padraig Harrington in 2018 and 2019 before playing with Ian Poulter in 2022, shortly before the Englishman's move to LIV Golf.
With Harrington now a member of the PGA Tour Champions, McIlroy saw an opportunity to play the Zurich Classic for the first time alongside a close friend, and Lowry duly accepted. “So I was like, ‘Yeah, if you are looking to play?'” McIlroy added. “And I’ve never played before, so I’m looking forward to it.”
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Fans believe the luncheon in question is the same one that saw McIlroy visit Lowry's Florida home, only to be joined soon after by victorious Team Europe captain Luke Donald and basketball icon Michael Jordan. “Rory, Luke and MJ sitting around talking about the Ryder Cup. [Laughs] … Not really how I envisioned the celebrations," Lowry told the Irish Independent about the get-together.
McIlroy started the year in style with victory at the Dubai Desert Classic, but he has struggled for form since. His tie for 19th at The Players Championship earlier this month is his best result in five starts as he suffers from inconsistency with his irons and wedges.
Lowry, the 2019 Open Championship winner, has fared a little better, finishing fourth and third respectively at the Cognizant Classic and Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month, although he endured a disappointing week in Singapore last time out, finishing tied for 29th in a rare outing on the DP World Tour.
Nick Hardy and Davis Riley are the reigning champions of the Zurich Classic, with close friends Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay winning the tournament in 2022.
