The Inside Story of Shane Lowry’s Surprise Pairing With Brooks Koepka at Zurich Classic

The Irishman knew Koepka needed another start under his belt, and not in the signature events this season. And so an unlikely partnership began.

Shane Lowry will tee it up with Brooks Koepka at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Shane Lowry had a problem. 

He knew he was going to play the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the lone team event of the PGA Tour season, but his partner of the last two years, Rory McIlroy, planned to skip it. 

So the Irishman was suddenly in need of a new teammate. 

Eventually, Lowry would link up with Brooks Koepka. But how? 

“I’ve known Brooks for a while, and I’m friendly with Ricky Elliott, his caddie,” Lowry told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, “so I said to Ricky, I kind of knew Brooks was going to have to play because he wasn’t in many signature events.”

“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.”

Shane Lowry won the @Zurich_Classic two years ago with Rory McIlroy.

Now, with Rory not playing, @ShaneLowryGolf is teaming up with 5x major champion Brooks Koepka.

Lowry told @chantel_mccabe how the partnership came about🔊 pic.twitter.com/uxhG0aoi9J

— SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (@SiriusXMPGATOUR) April 21, 2026

Koepka, of course, left LIV Golf and rejoined the PGA Tour in 2026. However, one of the stipulations of his reinstatement is that he isn’t eligible for any of the signature events unless he plays his way into them. The Zurich Classic is sandwiched between two majors and three signature tournaments, hurting the field, as top players generally avoid playing six weeks in a row. 

So, Koepka entering the event is certainly a boost. 

If Lowry and Koepka were to win this week, Koepka would become eligible for the remaining signature events. 

In seven starts this season, Koepka has one top 10 and four top 25s. Lowry, in eight events, has two tops 10s, including a runner-up at the Cognizant Classic, where he lost a three-stroke lead in the final three holes. 

When Lowry won with McIlroy in 2024, they sang karaoke afterward at the volunteer party. And last year’s champions, Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, kept the tradition going. 

So if Lowry and Koepka emerge victorious this Sunday, will Koepka flex his vocals? 

“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Lowry said. “If we’re finding that out on Sunday night, it’ll be a good thing.”

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