Tag: Zurich Classic

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Panorama PGA Tour

Team McIlroy/Lowry Celebrate Victory with a Round of Karaoke

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry celebrate thei PGA Tour victory with a round of karaoke. (Image: getty)
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry celebrate thei PGA Tour victory with a round of karaoke. (Image: getty)

The Zurich Classic is one of just a few team events in professional golf. Naturally, the pros make a special point of playing with their mates not only in the practice rounds, but also in a tournament. One example is the Irish duo Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. The long-standing friendship between these two players is no secret and both enjoyed a weekend of top-class golf. To top it off, they even claimed victory in their first appearance as a team at the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic 2024.

Rory McIlroy: “To win any PGA TOUR event is very cool, but to do it with one of your closest friends is awesome”

“We went out there, we had loads of fun, and we won the tournament. You couldn’t ask for a better week,” Lowry said after their win. And McIlroy added: “To win any PGA TOUR event is very cool, but to do it with one of your closest friends … Think about where we met and where we’ve come from, to be on this stage and do this together – just awesome to be able to do it alongside this guy.” And all of this happened because McIlroy “proposed” to Lowry at a “drunken lunch”, as the Northern Irishman told Claire Rodgers before the event.

In addition to the trophy, the duo received WWE-style belts. Well, for McIlroy it was a good fit and a perfect addition to the outfit. Shane Lowry, on the other hand, had a little trouble putting it on.

To celebrate McIlroy’s 25th career PGA Tour victory and Lowry’s first win since 2019, the pair took to the stage after the tournament and sang a perfect rendition of ‘Don’t stop believing’ by Journey.

Team McIlroy/Lowry celebrate with a round of karaoke

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Watch: PGA Tour highlights from round 1 of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans

AVONDALE, LOUISIANA - APRIL 25: Shane Lowry of Ireland and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland react on the 15th hole during the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana on April 25, 2024 in Avondale, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which is famous for its team event in the first two round of the tournament, have played their first round at the well-renowned golf course – TPC Louisiana, located in Avondale, Louisiana. As golf enthusiasts around the world had their eyes glued to this compelling event, the highlights of the play were much anticipated.

Sitting at the pinnacle of the leaderboard are the following players: Brehm/Hubbard, Kohles/Kizzire, Rai/ Lipsky, and McIlroy/Lowry all tied at the first position. Each of these teams sported a total score of -11. Coming at fifth place, Thompson/Novak, Detry/MacIntyre, and Champ/Daffue are tied with a total score of -10.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans laid out a substantial prize fund of $8,900,000 for this tournament. The amount, untouched by any adjective statement or valuation, speaks for itself in the world of golf.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans on PGA Tour brought together a plethora of international talent, with players showcasing their golfing prowess and providing audiences with a spectacle worth witnessing. As the tournament heads towards its epic climax, golf fans around the globe remain on the edge of their seats.

Show Zurich Classic of New Orleans Leaderboard

Zurich Classic of New Orleans: The PGA Tour round 1 highlights

About the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the largest American professional golf tour. There are 36 tournaments on the tour’s schedule this season. The tournaments mainly take place in the USA, but there are also some international venues over the course of the season. The signature events introduced in 2023 offer higher prize money and a smaller field of participants. There will be a total of eight of these events in the 2024 season. The four Majors and the Players Championship are also part of the PGA Tour. At the end of the tours season, the 70 best players in the FedEx Cup season rankings will play in a three-tournament play-off for overall tour victory and an extra 18 million dollars in prize money.

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PGA Tour

PGA Tour: How the Zurich Classic Team Format Works

The format of the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic. (Photo: Getty)
The format of the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic. (Photo: Getty)

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans takes place this year from April 25-28. Although the tournament has been an integral part of the PGA Tour for many years, for a long time it was “just” a tournament like many others. In 2017, it was given a new look and no longer takes place in single counting play. Instead, the format was changed to a two-man team event, but retained its status as a fully-fledged tournament with generous prize money and numerous FedEx Cup points. In 2020, the tournament had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, it returned to the tour in 2021.

The starting field consists of 80 teams, with the top players allowed to choose their own teammate. The only prerequisite for the selection is that the partner is eligible to play on the PGA Tour or has received a sponsor invitation. The teams will play in fourball format on Thursday and Saturday and in foursome mode on Friday and Sunday. As usual, the cut will be made after the second round and only the top 33 teams and tied players will progress to the third round. A total of 8.9 million US dollars will be distributed among the teams, with the winning duo also pocketing 800 FedEx Cup points (400 each).

Click here for the Zurich Classic leaderboard

PGA Tour: Upswing through uniqueness

Andy Pazder, Chief of Operations of the PGA Tour, explained the reasons for the change at the time: “We have seen the growth in popularity of biennial team competitions such as the Ryder Cup and the World Cup of Golf and also the excitement these tournaments generate. We believe that fans would like to see this type of competition as a regular part of our season.” This format makes the Zurich Classic exceptional on the PGA Tour, as the last time there was a comparable team event on the PGA Tour was almost four decades ago at the Walt Disney World National Team Championship in 1981.

The response since the announcement of the change has been consistently very positive. “The team format is an incredibly great new element on the Tour,” says Olympic champion Justin Rose. And even four years after the experiment, both fans and organizers are positively surprised by the “resurgence of the PGA Tour’s annual stop in New Orleans”. The change from the classic 72-hole counting game format was of course subject to risk, but ultimately led to stronger starting fields and increased interest in this unique Tour event.