Shane Lowry to compete against Rory McIlroy as the former officially commits to $9M event

Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy have shared a longstanding friendship, even though they often compete against one another in tournaments. Fans will witness the duo going head-to-head once again after Lowry's commitment to a $9M golfing event.

From January 22, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic will witness golfers competing on the Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai. The star-studded lineup features Tommy Fleetwood, McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Viktor Hovland, and now Lowry.

Shane Lowry's commitment to the upcoming DP World Tour event was shared on X by one of his renowned tracking pages. The user wrote:

"Shane has officially committed to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic 👏🏼👏🏼☘️☘️ It is held from January 22nd-January 25th 👏🏼☘️ Looking forward to what is always a great week at the @DubaiDCGolf ☘️☘️"

Take a look at the X post shared by Lowry Tracker:

Shane Lowry will compete against McIlroy, who has four wins in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic before (2009, 2015, 2023, and 2024). Lowry has played in this DP World Tour event several times, but he has yet to win the tournament. The one-time major champion last played at this event in 2023, where he missed the cut.

It's worth noting that Lowry and the reigning Masters Champion have played alongside on several occasions. The Irishman has also spoken fondly about being paired with his friend and fellow golfer.

When Shane Lowry claimed that he plays well when placed alongside Rory McIlroy

In June, Shane Lowry was paired alongside his friend Rory McIlroy for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Ahead of the major, the 2019 Open champ revealed his feelings about playing with the former World No. 1.

Lowry stated in the press conference that he played well when paired with McIlroy and said, via Talksport:

"The last few times I have played with Rory I have played pretty good. I played the first two rounds at Bay Hill with him this year, I was well up there. I love playing with Rory, and with Justin we have a great group and everyone gets on well."

Lowry and McIlroy have played together in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where they represented Team Ireland. During this year's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, fans also witnessed the golfers playing together in the Afternoon four-ball sessions.

They halved the Friday four-ball match against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay and went 2UP against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young on Saturday.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam