Rory McIlroy roasts himself over past putting blunders

Rory McIlroy is all set to return after his post-Masters break for the Zurich Classic. He will be partnering with Shane Lowry, and walking in as the fan favourites for this event, after all, they are the defending champions this year. Recently, both were present at a pre-event conference when McIlroy began to discuss the significance of this event, ironically roasting himself in the process.

At the conference, McIlroy talked about Shane Lowry's use of a new putter at the Zurich Classic 2024. He explained how, due to the new putter, Lowry was unable to putt short distances. To make up for it, McIlroy worked hard, which contributed to their victory; after all, it was a team effort. While discussing this, McIlroy also roasted himself, claiming that he, too, missed close shots.

Rory McIlroy explained all this at a media event ahead of the Zurich Classic by stating (via Cameron Jourdan on X):

"But yeah, I think we can both look back to last year here and think about the times when, you know, you know, like Shane used a new putter here last year for the first time, right? You know, but like he held that putt in regulation, you know, which got us into the, well, no, but it was, hey, I've certainly missed shorter."

Rory McIlroy continued to highlight the team effort by stating:

"So, so like, but just stuff like that, you know, he was struggling with his putting, he came here with a new putter, you know, he held a, you know, he held a three-footer but under pressure to, you know, like that's an important thing and like those little things can, you know, can help kick, you know, kick you on to the rest of the year."

Fans have high expectations for the pairing of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry this year. They are even at the top of the PGA Power Rankings for the Zurich Classic 2025.

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Who else is in the tournament with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry?

PGA: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - Final Round - Source: Imagn

This year's Zurich Classic will feature a total of 160 players. This means that 80 teams will compete, with only 36 expected to make the cut after two rounds. Rory McIlroy is returning to the game after winning the Masters, so he already has the spotlight on him.

Talking about other golfers, here's a list of everyone who is in this event:

• Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry
• Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama
• Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge
• Robert MacIntyre and Thomas Detry
• Will Zalatoris and Nick Dunlap
• Nicolai Højgaard and Rasmus Højgaard
• Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick
• Wyndham Clark and Taylor Moore
• Zach Johnson and Ryan Palmer
• Charley Hoffman and Nick Watney
• Kevin Kisner and Greyson Sigg
• Brandt Snedeker and Chez Reavie
• Sahith Theegala and Aaron Rai
• Sepp Straka and Brice Garnett
• Akshay Bhatia and Carson Young
• Gary Woodland and Lee Hodges
• Adam Svensson and Cam Davis
• Nico Echavarria and Max Greyserman
• Quade Cummins and Chris Gotterup
• Nick Hardy and Davis Riley
• Joe Highsmith and Alejandro Tosti
• Si Woo Kim and Sangmoon Bae
• Patton Kizzire and Ben Kohles
• Frankie Capan III and Jake Knapp
• Henrik Norlander and Luke List
• Russell Knox and Peter Malnati
• Matt McCarty and Mason Andersen
• Matthieu Pavon and Victor Perez
• J.T. Poston and Keith Mitchell
• Aaron Rai and Sahith Theegala
• Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor
• Erik van Rooyen and Christiaan Bezuidenhout
• Jhonattan Vegas and Kevin Yu
• Michael Thorbjornsen and Karl Vilips
• Camilo Villegas and Luke Donald
• Matt Wallace and Thorbjørn Olesen
• Greyson Sigg and Kevin Kisner
• Zach Johnson and Ryan Palmer
• Brandt Snedeker and Chez Reavie
• Troy Merritt and Robert Streb
• Chesson Hadley and Jonathan Byrd
• Yannik Paul and Jeremy Paul
• Eric Cole and Sam Saunders
• Ben Taylor and David Skinns
• Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter
• Adam Schenk and Tyler Duncan
• Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak
• Mark Hubbard and Ryan Brehm
• Beau Hossler and Andrew Putnam
• Justin Lower and Chad Ramey
• Doug Ghim and Chan Kim
• Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair
• Sam Stevens and Max McGreevy
• Rico Hoey and Sam Ryder
• Charley Hoffman and Nick Watney
• Ryo Hisatsune and Takumi Kanaya
• Chandler Phillips and Jacob Bridgeman
• David Lipsky and Dylan Wu
• Vince Whaley and Anders Albertson
• Mac Meissner and Noah Goodwin
• Ben Silverman and Sami Valimaki
• Nate Lashley and Hayden Springer
• Garrick Higgo and Ryan Fox
• Joseph Bramlett and Alex Smalley
• Joel Dahmen and Harry Higgs
• Bud Cauley and Kevin Tway
• Trey Mullinax and Robby Shelton
• Will Gordon and Matthew Riedel
• Ryan Gerard and Danny Walker
• Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo
• Kris Ventura and Antoine Rozner
• Jesper Svensson and Niklas Norgaard
• Steven Fisk and Tim Widing
• Kevin Roy and Trevor Cone
• Lanto Griffin and Cameron Champ
• Ricky Castillo and William Mouw
• Jackson Suber and Pierceson Coody
• Will Chandler and Matt NeSmith
• Paul Peterson and Thomas Rosenmueller
• Matteo Manassero and Cristobal Del Solar
• John Pak and Taylor Montgomery
• Kaito Onishi and Rikuya Hoshino
• Taylor Dickson and Trace Crowe
• Hayden Buckley and Braden Thornberry
• Martin Laird and Bill Haas