NEW ORLEANS — Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry came from behind to win the Zurich Classic — the PGA Tour’s lone team event — on Sunday in a playoff against Martin Trainer and Chad Ramey. McIlroy-Lowry had to birdie 18 to force a playoff, and a par on the first playoff hole was enough as Trainer missed a short putt to hand the win to the Irishmen.
The win is McIlroy’s 25th career PGA Tour win and Lowry’s third. The two friends have been teammates on the last two European Ryder Cup teams and played a fourball match as a pair in 2021. McIlroy decided to come play in the event for the first time after a “drunken lunch” with Lowry after the Ryder Cup.
Now, he might be back next year to defend his win.
The two were five back of the lead entering the seventh hole thanks to two early bogeys, but then McIlroy and Lowry went on a heater. They birdied 7, 8, 10 and 11 to get back in the mix thanks to standout play from McIlroy, and the duo had a crucial par save on No. 13 as Lowry hit a great recovery from a chunked approach from McIlroy.
On No. 16, McIlroy hit iron off the tee and put it in a bunker, but Lowry put his bunker shot to the center of the green and set McIlroy up for the birdie to tie the lead. A bogey on 17 could have taken the duo out of it with Trainer and Ramey in the clubhouse for hours already at 25-under. But McIlroy launched a drive 50 yards past his group and two shots later hit a clutch, spinny chip to easily birdie for a playoff.
It’s McIlroy’s first win since the Scottish Open in July and Lowry’s first since a 2022 DP World Tour win.
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(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
