The Irishman returns to action this evening with a new teammate by his side.
Brooks Koepka of the United States and Shane Lowry (Image: (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images))
Shane Lowry returns to action this evening as he teams up with Brooks Koepka at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Lowry has fond memories of the PGA Tour’s only team event, winning at TPC Louisiana alongside Rory McIlroy in 2024 and posting another decent finish alongside his great pal a year later.
This time around, Koepka will be the man in Lowry’s corner, and earlier this week, the 2019 Open Champion explained how he landed on the American as his new partner.
“I knew I was playing and then my partner [Rory] from the last two years told me he wasn’t going to play,” Lowry told US TV when asked about his new teammate.
“And I’ve known Brooks for a while, and I’m friendly with Ricky Elliott his caddie, so I said to Ricky I kind of knew Brooks was going to have to play because he wasn’t in many signature events.
Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy.(Image: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
“I said to Ricky, do you think Brooks would play and we’re both Srixon players and it fits a little bit. He’s obviously a very good player, I want to go there and try to win so that will be nice.”
As for why McIlroy opted not to play? Well, that is due to the Holywood star’s decision to reduce his PGA Tour schedule this year in order to focus more on the major championships.
That tactic has already paid off for Rory, who defied a back injury to win his second successive Masters title earlier this month.
When asked about that injury after the Masters win, McIlroy said “Happy I got through four days and my body feels good.
“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.”
Here’s what you need to know about Lowry and Koepka’s opening round:
Where is the event being played?
TPC Louisiana.
What time does the team of Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka tee off?
The pair are due to tee off at 6:29pm Irish time this evening, 1:29pm local time.
Where can I watch the event?
Sky Sports Golf is the place to watch the PGA Tour.
Coverage begins at 8pm this evening.