Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry win the 2024 Zurich Classic
Written by Paul Hodowanic
Editor’s note: Billy Horschel withdrew from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon. Tom Hoge will now partner with first alternate Kevin Chappell.
It’s time to team up. The PGA TOUR schedule has arrived at the lone team event of the season – the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are returning as defending champions, arriving in the Bayou State with plenty of momentum. Can that springboard them to success at TPC Louisiana again?
Each two-man team will play Four-ball (best ball) on Thursday and Foursomes (alternate shot) on Friday. After the cut – 33 teams and ties – they will play Four-ball on Saturday and Foursomes on Sunday.
Ahead of the competition, let’s talk about the most intriguing teams teeing it up at the Zurich Classic.
All eyes will be on the Irishmen looking to defend their title in New Orleans.
McIlroy and Lowry produced one of the signature moments in the history of the Zurich Classic last year, winning in a dramatic playoff and celebrating accordingly. They enter the tournament as overwhelming favorites to go back-to-back, both because of last year and what has already happened this season.
Best moments from Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s win in New Orleans
McIlroy is making his first start since his emotional and historic Masters victory. Will there be any post-Masters hangover for McIlroy? Or will he pick up right where he left off? Lowry is making his third consecutive start. Will there be any fatigue? Or will the team event rejuvenate him?
If the latter is the case for both players, they will be a scary duo. Even without their best stuff, their talent is overwhelming and should push them up the leaderboard.
Can we interest you in a potential Ryder Cup pairing for Bethpage Black?
Both Detry and MacIntyre figure to be on Team Europe Captain Luke Donald’s shortlist ahead of this year’s Ryder Cup. Behind the strength of his win at the WM Phoenix Open, Detry ranks No. 8 in the current Ryder Cup points list, while MacIntyre is No. 14.
The pairing can play off each other’s strengths and hide the other’s weaknesses. Detry is historically a very strong putter, an area MacIntyre has struggled. Meanwhile, MacIntyre is having an elite tee-to-green season, fifth in strokes gained, which can mask Detry’s sub-par approach play.
Plenty will change between now and September when Donald has to select his team, but it’s never too early to see how a pair of players could potentially jive. If we see this pairing at Bethpage Black, this week will be a crucial reason why.
From teammates to roommates back to teammates, it’s hard to imagine better chemistry between a team than Karl Vilips and Michael Thorbjornsen.
The duo spent four years as teammates at Stanford, both graduating last year and quickly jumping to the PGA TOUR. Thorbjornsen had a direct path, finishing No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University ranking to immediately earn his card,. Vilips, meanwhile, finished No. 10 to earn Korn Ferry Tour status and quickly won there to earn his card for 2025.
The two live in the same apartment building in Jacksonville. Thorbjornsen lives on the floor below, but “practically lives with me. He’s never in his room,” Vilips told PGATOUR.COM.
The two were watching the tournament together last year when they decided they wanted to play together. Vilips said he wouldn’t have played the event unless it was with his close friend.
“We’ve been chatting about it back in Jacksonville for the last couple of months,” Vilips said at the RBC Heritage. “He called me the other night, ‘What ball are you going to use? What holes do you want?’ I’m like, ‘Look, dude, I’m playing in a Signature Event right now. I’ve got other things to worry about. We’ll get there when we get there.’ But he’s super excited. We settled on TP5x. I also told him to focus on his week because he’s got a tournament this week as well. It’s going to be a lot of fun. We play this kind of stuff back at home in Sawgrass all the time. It’s going to be like just another day.”
Beyond the connection, there are compelling golf reasons to care about this duo. Vilips is already a winner on TOUR, claiming the Puerto Rico Open earlier this spring, and has maintained that form. His ball-striking was particularly strong in Hilton Head last week. In his second-round 65, Vilips gained nearly five strokes on approach. Conversely, the Zurich could be an opportune time for Thorbjornsen to turn around his game. Thorbjornsen has struggled to begin 2025, without a top-30 finish in nine starts. Perhaps playing with his best friend can spark the play that made him so special during their days at Stanford.
There’s an argument that this could also be a Ryder Cup preview, though both Horschel and Hoge need to find another gear over the rest of the season to make it happen.
Hoge ranks 12th on the Ryder Cup points standings, with Horschel just behind him at 14th. Both are pushing for their first Ryder Cup selection.
Horschel has won this event twice – once when it was an individual event in 2013 and as part of a team in 2018. Hoge has two top 15s in this event but has never finished better than 10th.
The two should be a formidable pairing at TPC New Orleans, one of the best ball-striking tandems in the field. Hoge, in particular, has been elite this season. He ranks 12th in SG: Approach.
Sahith Theegala is making his fourth Zurich Classic appearance with his fourth different partner. With limited success in his previous three starts, Theegala has turned to Aaron Rai for the week.
Theegala told PGATOUR.COM he was excited to play with a player he said is so different than himself.
“He’s methodical,” Theegala said, “and he can handle the moon balls I hit.”
It’s true that Theegala and Rai offer contrasting styles. Theegala has a loose, feel-based approach, thriving when his iron play is strong with a steady short game that raises his floor. Rai, conversely, employs a very steady tee-to-green game, with his long deficiency being his putter. Outside of the ropes, it’s also a heart-warming pairing of two players of Indian heritage.
