Rory McIlroy will pair up with fellow Irishman Shane Lowry for this weekend's Zurich Classic, McIlroy's first time competing in the event.
It's a dream team for Irish golf fans, with the good friends deciding to compete together over a boozy post-Ryder Cup brunch late last year.
We've seen McIlroy and Lowry line out together before, both on last year's victorious Ryder Cup team and on the 2021 European lineup - but perhaps most notable was their representing Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 2021 Olympics.
Both men were in the mix for a medal on the final day, with McIlroy ultimately coming up short in a seven-way playoff for bronze.
Speaking ahead of the Zurich Classic, McIlroy revealed how his view of representing Team Ireland at the Olympics had changed during his time in Tokyo, and both men looked forward to their likely renewed partnership in Paris this summer.
READ HERE: Rory McIlroy Ends Speculation Of Joining LIV Golf For $750m
READ HERE: Shane Lowry Tips The Masters Breakout Star As Future World No. 1
McIlroy and Lowry open up on Olympic aspirations
28 July 2021; Shane Lowry of Ireland, watched by Rory McIlroy, putts on the 10th green during a practice round at the Kasumigaseki Country Club during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Neither Shane Lowry nor Rory McIlroy competed at Rio 2016, with Padraig Harrington and Seamus Power taking the two spots on Team Ireland. Their absence was the source of some controversy at the time, with the Major champions both withdrawing in the months leading up to the competition, citing fears of contracting the Zika virus which was then prevalent in Brazil.
McIlroy in particular took heavy flak in the summer of 2016 but, after his exploits in Tokyo, little doubt could be cast on his commitment to the Team Ireland cause.
Ahead of this weekend's Zurich Classic, McIlroy said that his view on competing in the Olympics had changed during the 2020 event, and that he was now strongly motivated to push for a medal once more this summer.
I was in a seven-way playoff in Tokyo for a bronze medal, and I've never tried so hard to finish third in my life.
Look, we didn't grow up dreaming of winning an Olympic medal because that just wasn't something that was on our radar. Major championships have always been what has been the greatest achievement in the game of golf, but once you're there and you get into that Olympic spirit, it really sort of...I don't know, something happens inside of you, and you really get a sense for what it means to so many people.
As Shane said, even to just be able to call yourself an Olympian, but then if you were able to win a medal, that would be incredibly special.
While McIlroy experienced the heartbreak of playoff elimination in 2021, Lowry was left arguably more frustrated with his own performance. Having come out of the third round just a shot behind McIlroy, a final day 71 eliminated Lowry from contention and left him five shots behind his teammate.
Lowry has spoken this year of his hope to use that Tokyo disappointment to fuel another medal charge this summer, and he reiterated that hope this week, saying an Olympic medal was a "bucket list" achievement:
Doing the last Olympics with Rory together in Japan, albeit it was a COVID Olympics so it was a little bit different, we both realized what it meant to go out and try and win an Olympic medal for your country.
I think that's something that excites me and excites both of us to go back to Paris this year and try and do that.
For me personally, I know to go back to Ireland with an Olympic medal would be like a dream. Yeah, something that is high on my bucket list for this year.
The lineup of Team Ireland is yet to be officially confirmed but, with both men in the top 20 on the qualification table as it stands, it appears merely a formality before the McIlroy-Lowry duo is confirmed once again.
28 July 2021; Rory McIlroy, centre, and Shane Lowry of Ireland, with Shane Lowry's caddie Alan Lowry, left, during a practice round at the Kasumigaseki Country Club during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
One could then almost see this weekend's action as a dress rehearsal for their expected appearance in Paris in August.
Lowry said this week that he looks forward to renewing his partnership with McIlroy at the Zurich Classic, sharing his belief that the pair are "good for each other":
I think we're good for each other. I think we'll be good for each other on the course.
We'll enjoy doing it, which is a big part of it, as well. Whenever we're out there and competing, you want to enjoy it, as well.
At the end of the day when it comes to it, we are competitors, and I think we're two very competitive people, and when we get to the first tee on Thursday, we're there for one reason, and yes, it'll be to enjoy it, but it'll be to give ourselves a chance to win the tournament.
Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy get their Zurich Classic charge underway this evening from Louisiana, teeing off at 6:44pm Irish time. The event is live on Sky Sports Golf.
SEE ALSO: New Dublin Equine Centre To Be Named After The Late Jack de Bromhead
