Rory McIlroy is gearing up for his defence at the Masters and has reduced his PGA Tour involvement to concentrate on majors
14:50, 31 Mar 2026Updated 14:52, 31 Mar 2026
Rory McIlroy is not expected to take part in the Zurich Classic. (Image: James Gilbert/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy will not be taking part in the Zurich Classic tournament, leaving Shane Lowry to team up with a new partner. The two golfers have played together in the team event for the last two years.
McIlroy and Lowry won the tournament back in 2024. Last year, they finished in joint 12th place, with the two appearances the only times that McIlroy has featured in the tournament.
This year McIlroy has revealed his plans to limit his PGA Tour schedule to focus more on the majors and spend more time with his family. The Zurich Classic is one of the events that the Northern Irishman has decided to skip, according to GolfMagic.
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In making the decision, McIlroy has given up the chance of winning a share of the overall £7.1 million prize money, of which almost £1million goes to each individual winner.
It also means that Lowry has had to look for a new partner for the only team event on the PGA Tour this year.
It’s been confirmed that the Irishman will team up with Brooks Koepka. The American last played the event back in 2019. Alongside his brother Chase, the duo finished in 22nd position.
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The Zurich Classic, held in New Orleans, sees players take part in two rounds of fourballs, with two balls in play and the best score is taken, and two rounds of foursomes, where one ball is in play, and players take alternative shots.
Fourballs is in the first and third rounds, with foursomes on the second and fourth.
Shane Lowry will be playing without Rory McIlroy in the Zurich Classic next month. (Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.)
The tournament is scheduled to take place on 23-26 April, in between the RBC Heritage event (16-19 April) and the Cadillac Championship (30 April-3 May). It also falls just two weeks after the Masters with McIlroy looking to defend his Green Jacket.
Ahead of his Masters defence, McIlroy has been struggling with a back problem, which caused him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He did however, get through all four rounds of the Players’ Championship the following week, finishing in T46.
“Happy I got through four days and my body feels good,” he said after the tournament. “I feel like my game sort of progressively got a little bit better as the week went on, even though the scores probably didn’t reflect it over the weekend.
“I hit the ball well. I just didn’t make anything on the greens. Happy to come through four rounds and feel like my body held up well.”
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