McIlroy Wins First Victory of the Year in '2-Person Team' Event

Laurie Wins Zurich Classic in First Playoff
McIlroy Secures 25th Victory, Laurie Claims 3rd Win in 5 Years
Rheims-Trainer 2nd, Lee Kyung-hoon-Kim Tied 11th

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) quenched his 'winning thirst.'

Rory McIlroy (left) and Shane Lowry are celebrating right after winning the '2-man team event' at the Zurich Classic. [Avondale, USA = Photo by AFP and Yonhap News]

On the 28th (local time), at TPC Louisiana (Par 72, 7,425 yards) in Avondale, Louisiana, USA, during the final day of the PGA Tour Zurich Classic (total prize money $8.9 million), McIlroy teamed up with Shane Lowry (Ireland) in the foursomes format, shooting 4 under par to tie with Chad Ramey (USA) and Martin Trainer (France) at 25 under par 263. They then secured victory by making a winning par on the first hole of the playoff, which resumed at the 18th hole (par 5).

McIlroy earned his 25th career win, his first in nine months since the Genesis Scottish Open in July last year, while Lowry claimed his third win in over five years since his major victory at The Open in July 2019. Each received a winner's prize of $1,286,050 (approximately 1.77 billion KRW).

The Zurich Classic is a team event where two players form a pair. The first and second rounds are played in a four-ball format (each player plays their own ball, and the better score counts for the team), while the third and fourth rounds are played in foursomes (players alternate shots with one ball). Winners receive a two-year tour exemption and 400 FedEx Cup points each. However, no world ranking points are awarded. Due to lower prize money and FedEx Cup points compared to other tournaments, top-tier players often do not participate.

McIlroy and Lowry started from a tie for third place, two strokes behind the leaders, and combined seven birdies with three bogeys. They made a dramatic birdie on the final 18th hole, where they were tied for second place by one stroke, to force a playoff. In the first playoff hole, McIlroy and Lowry’s second shot landed in a bunker, but Ramey and Trainer missed a short par putt after barely reaching the green in four shots, securing McIlroy and Lowry’s victory.

World No. 233 Ramey and No. 387 Trainer shot 9 under par on the final day in an attempt to come from behind but settled for second place. The previous day’s leaders, Patrick Fishburn and Jack Blair (both USA), failed to improve their scores and finished tied for fourth at 23 under par 265. Among Korean players, the only participant, Kyung-hoon Lee, paired with Korean-American Michael Kim to finish tied for 11th at 20 under par 268. Chan Kim and Doug Kim (both USA) finished tied for 28th at 17 under par 271.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.