One of the world’s top three golfers, Rory McIlroy, watches a putt during the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week in Memphis, Tenn. This week, he is looking to improve on his standing with a big showing in the BMW Championship in Olympia Village, Ill.
- AP PHOTO
Shane Lowry reads a putt on the 7th green during the third round of the Zurich Classic at the TPC Louisiana golf course in Avondale, La. Saturday, April 23, 2022. (Photo by Max Becherer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
- STAFF PHOTO BY MAX BECHERER
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, watches his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) ORG XMIT: FLPE416
- Phelan M. Ebenhack
2 min to read
Sheldon Mickles
One of the world’s top three golfers, Rory McIlroy, watches a putt during the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week in Memphis, Tenn. This week, he is looking to improve on his standing with a big showing in the BMW Championship in Olympia Village, Ill.
- AP PHOTO
Shane Lowry reads a putt on the 7th green during the third round of the Zurich Classic at the TPC Louisiana golf course in Avondale, La. Saturday, April 23, 2022. (Photo by Max Becherer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
- STAFF PHOTO BY MAX BECHERER
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, watches his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) ORG XMIT: FLPE416
- Phelan M. Ebenhack
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans picked up a huge commitment Monday when Fore!Kids Foundation CEO Steve Worthy announced world No. 2 Rory McIlroy will participate in the event for the first time next month.
McIlroy will make his debut in the Crescent City in a pairing with fellow Irishman Shane Lowry, who has played in the Zurich Classic four times previously, at TPC Louisiana in Avondale.
The only two-man team tournament on the PGA Tour will be played April 25-28. The event, which this year carries a tournament-record $8.9 million purse, features a best-ball format for the first and third rounds and alternate shot in the second and fourth rounds.
The winner of four major titles, McIlroy has won 24 times on the PGA Tour since turning pro at the age of 17. He'll celebrate his 35th birthday the week after the Zurich Classic.
A longtime fan favorite, McIlroy's been in the Top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the past 128 weeks — dating to the end of 2021— and has been No. 2 for 37 consecutive weeks since last summer.
McIlroy previously was atop the world rankings for 95 consecutive weeks starting in 2015. Scottie Scheffler is currently the No. 1 player in the OWGR.
Lowry is also a major winner, having claimed The Open Championship in 2019 in his native country, and is a veteran of the European Ryder Cup team.
“Both of these players have competed for Europe in Ryder Cup competition, so they are very accustomed to team play,” Worthy said. “It’s always fun to see close friends partner in our unique format, and with their experience they will be both fan and on-course favorites."
McIlroy joined the PGA Tour in 2010 and has made the cut in 213 of 243 tournaments. In addition to his 24 wins on the PGA Tour, he's won 17 times on the DP World Tour.
He's claimed The Open Championship twice and the U.S. Open and PGA Championship once each. McIlroy has also won The Players Championship to go with three FedExCup titles and two DP World Championships.
Before coming to New Orleans, McIlroy will be trying to win his first green jacket at the Masters. That would give him a career grand slam, a feat that only five other golf greats have accomplished.
McIlroy has finished in the top 10 at Augusta seven times in the past 10 years.
The three-time PGA Tour player of the year and three-time DP World Tour player of the year has played on every Ryder Cup team since 2010 and has an overall record of 16-13-4 after going 4-1 last fall in Rome.
Lowry claimed The Open Championship in 2019 when he won by six shots over Tommy Fleetwood. He's won five other titles —four on the DP World Tour and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2015.
In addition to his title in The Open Championship, Lowry has tied for third at the Masters and has three top-10s in the PGA Championship as well as a tie for second in the 2016 U.S. Open.
In his most recent visit to New Orleans in 2022, Lowry teamed up with Ian Poulter and the duo finished 13th.
For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
Sheldon Mickles
- Author twitter
- Author email
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
