The PGA Tour is set for a change of tempo this week as 80 pairings battle it out for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans title at TPC Louisiana.
It is the only team event on the US circuit’s calendar, with a star-studded cast assembled for the 2024 edition.
After becoming a team event in 2017, winners have included Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith, and Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, so which duo is set to join this illustrious list of past champions?
As ever, there are some intriguing partnerships on the entry list, and we’ve picked out six of the best below.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry
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Rory McIlroy is set to make his debut in this event and has teamed up with his good friend and Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry. The pair know each other well from their amateur days and could form a deadly duo.
It may also present McIlroy with a chance in a more laid-back setting to continue to work on his game ahead of next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Discussing how it all came about, McIlroy told GOLF.com: “I asked him. You know it was actually, we had this really drunken lunch after the Ryder Cup last year, and I said after, ‘You wanna play the Zurich together?’ “And we were like, yeah, let’s do it.”
The Fitzpatrick brothers
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Among others, McIlroy and Lowry will be up against Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick. The English brothers were in contention after three rounds last year but stumbled to a T19 finish after a two-over 74 in the Sunday foursomes.
They will be out to improve on that this year and learn from their experience 12 months ago. Matt is coming into the event on the back of four consecutive top-30 finishes, including a solo fifth at the Players Championship, so they could be a good bet to challenge.
Eric Cole and Russ Cochran
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On the face of it, this might be a pairing you would quickly skip past. But there’s a good story behind the team of Eric Cole and Russ Cochran.
Cochran, 65, is a former PGA Tour winner and features occasionally now on the Champions Tour. He is also the dad of Cole’s regular caddie, Reed Cochran, so this week is set to be a family affair.
The Hojgaard twins
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Continuing on that theme, the Hojgaard twins…
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