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Shane Lowry explains why he’s playing the Zurich Classic with Brooks Koepka instead of Rory McIlroy

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Shane Lowry is a part of an unlikely partnership at this week’s Zurich Classic.

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The 2019 Open Championship winner is pairing up with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka in the team event in New Orleans.

For the last two years, Lowry has teamed with his good friend Rory McIlroy, winning it in 2024, but the back-to-back Masters winner isn’t playing the event this year, so Lowry had to seek a new partner.

In the build-up to the event, Lowry explained why he chose Koepka as the man to go to battle with at the Zurich.

The reason why Shane Lowry chose Brooks Koepka as his Zurich Classic partner

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf this year under specific conditions. He made a $5 million charitable donation and accepted that he won’t receive FedEx Cup bonus money or sponsor exemptions for Signature Events in 2026.

Under these conditions, Koepka is playing in nearly every event in which he’s eligible for, which led Lowry to ask him to partner with him at the Zurich.

Speaking to Chantel McCabe on Sirius XM Radio, Lowry explained how the partnership came to fruition: “Well, I’m playing, and obviously, my partner from the last two years told me that he wasn’t going to play. And I’ve known Brooks a while, and I’m friendly with Ricky Elliot, his caddie.

“So I said to Rickie, I kind of knew Brooks was going to have to play because he wasn’t in many of the Signature Events. And I said, ‘Do you think Brooks will play?’

“We’re both Srixon players, it kind of fits a little bit. And he’s obviously a very good player, and I want to go and win.”

With six majors between them, Lowry and Koepka make up the most talented pairing in the field, and they’ll feel confident in their chances of winning.

Brooks Koepka’s team event record

Koepka is no stranger to playing in team events, having been a regular on Team USA’s Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. But his team record leaves much to be desired.

First, the Ryder Cup, where Koepka has a record of 7-6-2. But three of those wins, and a tie, come from Sunday Singles. In the team events at the Ryder Cup, Koepka’s record is 4-6-1.

He also suffered the biggest defeat in a team event in Ryder Cup history, losing 9&7 to Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland in 2023 alongside Scottie Scheffler.

Koepka has played in just one Presidents Cup in 2017, and there he put in a better showing. He went 2-1 in the team events at Liberty National.

He’ll hope for a better showing alongside Ryder Cup specialist Lowry, who is 3-2-1 in Ryder Cup team events, and a past winner of the Zurich.

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The bold claim Phil Mickelson made after the 2023 PGA Championship that has aged terribly

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Phil Mickelson has not been afraid to make some interesting claims on social media over the years, particularly when it comes to LIV Golf.

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Mickelson, of course, hit the headlines last year when he predicted in March that Scottie Scheffler would not win before the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

Scheffler then won six times on the PGA Tour, including two majors.

The 2023 claim Phil Mickelson made about LIV Golf that has aged terribly

Mickelson also claimed at one stage that Joaquin Niemann was the best player in the world.

Niemann has registered one top 10 in the majors during his career, while he did not even receive an invite to The Masters this year.

Another of Mickelson’s odd takes came after the 2023 PGA Championship, with the six-time major champion claiming that LIV Golf is the best tour to help players prepare for the four biggest events of the year following Brooks Koepka‘s triumph.

He wrote on X: ‘Love LIV or hate it, it’s the best way/Tour to be your best in the majors. Enough events to keep you sharp, fresh and ready, yet not be worn down from too many tournaments or obligations. 14 LIV events, 34 weeks left open to prepare for the 4 majors. Fact.

Of course, the six-time major winner left no room for debate with his final word. And, for a little while, it was hard to argue.

There were three LIV players in the top five at The Masters the previous month. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau finished tied for fourth when Koepka won at Oak Hill.

 

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Nelly Korda has made a smart decision which should really help her at The Chevron Championship

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Nelly Korda will be setting her sights on a third career major championship win this week at The Chevron Championship.

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Korda won The Chevron Championship in 2024, three years after claiming her maiden title at the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship.

Her form puts her among the favorites for success at Memorial Park, which plays host to the opening major of the 2026 season.

And Korda has boosted her chances further by skipping last week’s JM Eagle LA Championship, despite the clear rewards on offer.

Nelly Korda will be well rested for The Chevron Championship

When asked what she’s done well in the early stages of the LPGA Tour season, Korda said: “What have I done well?

“I would say the work that I’ve put in on my body, making sure that my schedule is planned out well.

“So instead of let’s say going to JM Eagle because I know let’s say it’s a higher purse, instead I just took that week off, made sure that I rested my body.

“I made sure that after those three weeks that I played in a row I gave the first couple days at home my body a complete break.

“I didn’t touch a club for about four days. I was in the gym and I made sure that my mind was refreshed.”

Such an approach should pay off for the American, who has been one of the standout players of the season so far.

She boasts one win from her four starts, and has finished either second or tied-second in her other three appearances.

Smart scheduling has been crucial to her fantastic results, which she now looks like she will be able to continue in Houston.

Korda arrived for the tournament on Sunday night, and has been busy finding her feet at Memorial Park since then.

As detailed by TaylorMade, she started a practice day with putting practice at 6.32am, followed by a warm-up on the practice range with wedges at 7.20am.

Irons, fairway woods and driver practice followed at 7.30am, 7.40am and 7.55am, with her practice round then beginning at 8.15am.

It’s a busy but necessary schedule, with such discipline having helped her clinch 16 career titles and once reach number one in the world rankings.

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Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo takes issue with ‘U-S-A’ chants as Scottie Scheffler faced British golfer in playoff

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Matt Fitzpatrick bested Scottie Scheffler in a playoff at the RBC Heritage over the weekend in what became a road game for him.

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The Hilton Head, South Carolina, crowd was quickly pulling for Scheffler, a Texan, to complete the comeback over Fitzpatrick, who was born in England.

Chants of “U-S-A” rang out, which irked broadcasting legend Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.

“I put on the RBC Classic … and I could not believe the 18th hole when Scottie Scheffler was making a comeback against Matt Fitzpatrick. Did anyone see the crowd?” Russo said during his “What Are You Mad About” segment on Wednesday’s edition of ESPN’s “First Take.

“They were singing ‘U-S-A, U-S-A’ walking down the 18th fairway. This is not the Ryder Cup. We’re not fighting Britain in a war for crying out loud. In a golf tournament? At the RBC? [Fitzpatrick] freaking lives in Miami. … This is not the ’80 Olympics.”

Scheffler and Fitzpatrick both have starred in each of the previous three Ryder Cups, with Fitzpatrick’s European team winning the last two. Fitzpatrick and Scheffler faced off in Friday foursomes in the most recent event.

It is hardly the first time U-S-A chants were heard at a regularly-sanctioned golf event. DeChambeau heard the U-S-A chants while going for his second U.S. Open against McIlroy. Scheffler went 1-4 in his five matches at Bethpage Black in September, beating Rory McIlroy 1 up in their Sunday singles match. Fitzpatrick squandered a 5 up lead to Bryson DeChambeau to finish all square.

The New York Ryder Cup crowd was blasted by the media and golfers, which had been a concern even before the event. However, that criticism came due to much more than simple U-S-A chants.

McIlroy was hit with the worst of it, whether it was telling him his wife was “a four,” asking about Amanda Balionis and a previously rumored fling (with his wife mere feet away), dropping F-bombs or constant reminders of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Thankfully for Fitzpatrick, he didn’t get hit that hard. But the crowd still made it known who they were backing.

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