AVONDALE, La. — On the surface, Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry look like the kind of Zurich Classic pairing that makes you tilt your head for a second.Koepka is a five-time major champion whose career has recently taken a few unexpected turns. He's now back on the PGA Tour but still navigating a complicated path into its biggest events. Lowry is the steady Irishman who partnered with Rory McIlroy to win this event in 2024 and has been a stud for the European Ryder Cup team for a decade.Koepka saunters around the course, almost strutting, and with his powerful build he looks like he could have been an outside linebacker or a fullback at Florida State instead of one of the school’s elite golfers.
Lowry, well … doesn’t look like that. Dressing in all black most days, his, shall we say, slightly-softer appearance and quick laugh disguise his talents and uncanny short game.It’s not a duo that anyone saw coming, but like most things at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the story behind the pairing is a little more layered than it first appears.“To the outside it might not look like it makes sense, but you know, to us it does,” Lowry said. “I think the ball, everything about it, you know, we do have a good relationship.
We're going to have a good bit of fun out there.”Lowry and Koepka both play a Srixon ball, Lowry the Z-Star XV and Koepka the Z-Star Diamond, so in the foursomes rounds, each will be very familiar with his teammates ball behaves.“We've been friends for years,” Koepka said. “I think a lot of people forget that we all live probably within 15 minutes of each other in Jupiter (Florida), and everybody plays the same golf courses, so we see each other pretty much every other day. I mean, I don't go a day without seeing a guy out here, so there's always conversations.
There's always people talking, having lunch, doing whatever, practicing together. It happens way more frequently than I think people realize.”The partnership, according to both players, came together in a way that feels pretty typical for this week. It wasn’t driven by analytics models or long-term strategy sessions.
It was more about timing, familiarity, and a shared understanding of what this event demands.Lowry needed a partner after McIlroy opted to skip the trip to skip this year’s event. Koepka, meanwhile, needed an opportunity. And for him, this one comes with more than just a chance to win a trophy.More: Brandt Brandt Snedeker balances Zurich Classic and Presidents Cup roleBecause while the Zurich Classic has a reputation as the Tour’s most relaxed stop, the stakes for Koepka are anything but casual.
A win this week would not only bring a two-year PGA Tour exemption, but also unlock access to the signature events with limited-fields and $20 million purses that define the modern Tour schedule.That’s been the missing piece since his return from LIV Golf.Koepka has already experienced what that looks like from the outside. Last week at Harbour Town, he waited as the first alternate for the RBC Heritage, hoping for a late withdrawal that never came. It was a reminder that, despite his résumé, nothing is guaranteed right now.A win changes that instantly.Brandt Snedeker, the 2026 U.S.
Presidents Cup team captain, said earlier in the week the two players seem like an ideal pairing on paper, but if their personalities don’t match, so the fit isn’t right. Seeing Koepka and Lowry standing together, it doesn’t appear they will have that problem.They’re different people, but both are comfortable in their own skin. Both have played in high-pressure team environments.
Both have won major championships. And both understand that this week requires a slightly different mindset, one that leans on trust as much as execution.It may not be the most obvious pairing, but it’s one that many think could be high on the leaderboard Sunday.This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Shane Lowry, Brooks Koepka team up in 2026 Zurich Classic