Shane Lowry’s choice to replace Rory McIlroy at the Zurich Classic was made right in front of the Masters champion
Rory McIlroy was there when Shane Lowry learnt of his decision to withdraw as his partner in the Zurich Classic. The reigning Masters champion has taken part in the New Orleans-based tournament – where prize money stands at £7.1million ($9.5m) this year – alongside Lowry for the previous two years with the duo claiming victory in 2024.
Yet, after securing his second successive triumph at Augusta, Lowry disclosed the Northern Irishman had informed him he intended to miss the Louisiana tournament in order to recuperate following his efforts in Georgia.
Left without a partner, the Irishman confessed he approached several golfers who turned him down before reaching an arrangement with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka.
Explaining the journey that led him to eventually joining forces with Koepka, Lowry told The Golf Channel: “I asked about 10 or 12 other guys first and they all said no. Rory quickly said after last year, I don’t think he wanted to come back.
“It wasn’t until the end of the year I was doing my schedule, and I was going to add this in, that I knew I needed to start looking for a new teammate. I met Brooks down in Florida at a place where we both practice just after Christmas and mentioned that I might need a partner for New Orleans.
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy’s behaviour in the spotlight as major claim made about Masters winnerREAD MORE: Rory McIlroy’s decision to ditch Shane Lowry and why Ryder Cup pal skipped Masters celebrationsJOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page
“He said he’d be up for it and it kind of went from there. I said it to his caddy, Ricky [Elliott], a couple of weeks later. Then I saw Brooks a few weeks after that and said, are we going to tee it up together? And he said yes. So, nice to be here.”
“You have to have multiple majors to be able to team up with me in this tournament. It’s good that he said yes.” The deal to pair up was struck with McIlroy present, sat alongside Lowry when the 39-year-old put the proposition to the American.
Koepka confirmed: “I remember it. He was actually sitting at a table with Rory when he asked me. I think it was either December or January. I forget what it was. It was around that time. I think at the time when he asked me, I wasn’t sure what my playing schedule was going to be.
“I’m just happy to be here and happy to be a part of it. I’m thankful to have a good partner and we’ll see how the week goes.” Lowry acknowledged their partnership is an unlikely one given their starkly different personalities, with Koepka renowned for his intense, no-nonsense attitude while Lowry is rarely spotted without a grin on his face.
The Irishman explained: “On the outside, it might not look like it makes sense, but to us it does. I think the ball, everything about it, you know, we do have a good relationship and we’re going to have a good bit of fun out there.”
Their partnership didn’t get off to the best of starts after they failed to make the cut in New Orleans while playing alongside Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick.
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