As honorary starters for the 2025 Masters Tournament, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson sat down for the Press Conference before the first round. When asked who would grab the Green Jacket this year, all three unanimously voted for Rory McIlroy. 73 holes later, McIlroy won the 2025 Masters Tournament; the first of his illustrious career. Joining the prestigious list of legends like Nicklaus, Player, and Tiger Woods, McIlroy has now achieved his biggest dream. From Holly to the Green Jacket Ceremony, he had a lot on his mind. Emotions were high as a teary McIlroy embraced everyone he loved on his way, including his wife, Erica Stoll, and his daughter, Poppy McIlroy.
Moments later, the Irishman was on the podium getting Scottie Scheffler to put the Green Jacket on him. Up on the mic now, McIlroy delivered an emotional victory speech before revealing his plans. No, he didn’t say when he will play on the PGA Tour. But he shared that he will be visiting Northern Ireland to celebrate with his parents, Rosaleen & Gerry McIlroy, next week. If you haven’t connected the dots yet, Rory McIlroy will be skipping the 2025 RBC Heritage as he will be back home with his parents in the U.K. So, when will he make his next appearance?
Rory McIlroy’s next PGA Tour outing
On his way to the Green Jacket Ceremony, there was one individual whom Rory McIlroy had also embraced. It might not come as a surprise to many that Shane Lowry is also one of his closest friends he has on the course. The two share a great bond, and their families are also well-connected to each other. Fans saw a glimpse of their relationship when both their daughters, Poppy and Iris, celebrated the former’s outstanding putt in the Par 3 Contest on the Wednesday of the Masters Tournament.
On April 24, 2025, both the dads and good friends will also team up together on TPC Louisiana. Yes, Rory McIlroy will team up with Shane Lowry for his next PGA Tour adventure. The two will defend their Zurich Classic title at Avondale, Louisiana, from April 24-27, 2025.
The same was confirmed by Rory Tracker on X about 24 hours ago. Showing a video of McIlroy hugging Lowry after his win at Augusta National, the caption read, “Rory’s next event is with @ShaneLowryGolf defending their title at the @Zurich_Classic.” The Grand Slam champion hasn’t confirmed the same yet. Nor has the social media account of Zurich Classic. But we can assume the news will come in within the next few days.
Rory’s next event is with @ShaneLowryGolf defending their title at the @Zurich_Classic pic.twitter.com/BsjUcQNtvl
— Rory Tracker (@RoryTrackr) April 14, 2025
Having said that, who will Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry be facing in the four-ball event next week? Let’s look at the potential candidates who have committed to participating in the 2025 Zurich Classic.
McIlroy and Lowry are up for a tough challenge at TPC Louisiana
While Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry may not have confirmed their participation yet, they will be looking forward to a major obstacle once they do. The Irish duo’s title defense is under threat as Tom Hoge and Billy Horschel have already committed to the 2025 Zurich Classic. Horschel is one of the most consistent performers in this tournament as he has already won it twice in his career. He won it as an individual back in 2013 and also by teaming up with Scott Piercy in 2018. Horschel also had a T4 finish in 2021 and a runner-up finish in 2022. Both times, he was teamed with Sam Burns.
Other than Hoge and Horschel, the two men from two parts of Ireland will also face the Zurich Golf Ambassador, Collin Morikawa, and Kurt Kitayama. The last team committed so far is Sahith Theegala and Aaron Rai. Rai and his partner drew with Morikawa and Kitayama in 2024 while Theegala’s team missed the cut. Either way, any one of them can steal the title from Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the 2025 Zurich Classic.
Considering both their great forms recently, do you think Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry can become the first team to defend their Zurich Classic titles in 2025? Let us know in the comments section.
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