The shirts were different shades of blue, but the effort to match was certainly there as the defending champions’ press conference began. One was bearded and full of smiles. The other, a little hoarse but seemingly ready to go again after realizing the biggest dream of his golfing life.

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are back at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans as the defending champions, and while their appearance in 2024 made a big splash, this year is even bigger – for obvious reasons.

McIlroy’s Masters victory had layers upon layers to it. The biggest question, perhaps, in the modern world of golf was whether or not he could don that green jacket and complete that career Grand Slam. Sunday’s finale at Augusta National was the hardest round of golf he had played in his life, McIlroy said, but he did what he needed to do. Question answered.

McIlroy said he spent last week in London with his wife, Erica, and their daughter, Poppy, before making the trip to Belfast, where he spent time with his parents and plenty others who have been on the journey with him for the last decade-plus which, he said, was “absolutely amazing.”

“It’s been an amazing few days after (the win) and to be able to reflect on it and everything that happened and the magnitude of everything. I think the big thing for me is just how the whole journey sort of resonated with people and the people that have reached out to me,” McIlroy said. “I spoke to two presidents the day after, which was pretty cool. Just people reaching out from all walks of life, whether it be sports, entertainment, culture. Just all of it. People that you would never even think that would watch golf or would know what's going on, that was very, very humbling, I guess.

“I think people can see themselves in the struggle at times, and everything that you sort of try to put into getting the best out of yourself in that journey. I think people watching someone finally get it done, something they've been trying to do for a decade plus, I think it resonated with a lot of people.”

With a small smile, McIlroy admitted he did pick up a cold in all the travelling and the revelling (he could barely get out of bed Monday, he said), but this week it’s back to work, and back to work alongside a great friend.

McIlroy and Lowry first decided to team up for this event over a lunch in South Florida in 2023 that featured a few drinks and some stories told as they celebrated their Ryder Cup victory. A vintage bottle of wine was opened and before long, McIlroy had asked Lowry – his pal of more than 20 years – if he wanted to play the Zurich Classic. More details eventually came from Lowry, who told the Irish Independent that it wasn’t just the two of them dining and drinking – but that their captain Luke Donald was there along with Michael Jordan.

The duo would go on to win the event, taking down Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer in a playoff. McIlroy and Lowry went birdie-bogey-birdie in the final three holes to end up tied, but won on the first playoff hole – makring McIlroy’s 25th TOUR title and Lowry’s third. All the more special alongside a friend, however.

“Obviously winning individually, you've done it all yourself," Lowry said. "You've got your team of people around you, and you get a lot of satisfaction from that. But I think winning as a team was honestly one of the coolest experiences you can have. We flew together last year here, and we said we're here to pick up 400 FedExCup points each, and that's why we're here again this week.

“But we are here to have a good time, as well. I'm not saying a good time like we're going to be down on Bourbon Street every night, but we're here to enjoy it.”

Beyond slipping on a new 38 regular sport coat, this year has been a dream-like campaign for McIlroy. His Masters win over Justin Rose in a playoff was his third of the TOUR season already with McIlroy also winning THE PLAYERS Championship (in a playoff against J.J. Spaun) and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am prior to becoming just the sixth man in history to complete the career Grand Slam.

His body of work, stats-wise, has also been as impressive as any – he sits first in Strokes Gained: Total, Tee-to-Green and Off-the-Tee. He’s also 10th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

The Zurich Classic win in 2024 was McIlroy’s first of the season. He followed it up with another in his very next start at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow and then would add three more top-five finishes to his ledger through the balance of the year.

“It’s amazing what a year can do,” McIlroy said. “This tournament last year was a really cool moment for both of us. I think it probably injected a little bit of joy back into golf for me in some way, which I think is really, really important, not to lose that.”

Lowry, to his credit, has had a fairly solid run through the beginning of 2025 as well, including notching a runner-up to McIlroy at Pebble Beach. He is also sixth on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Total and has two other top 10s – a seventh at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and a T8 at the Valspar Championship. He was in the mix at the Masters, too, before a 9-over 81 Sunday saw him tumble into a tie for 42nd.

Lowry said, like his partner, he took plenty of positive momentum from their victory last year and now, 12 months on, he’s hoping for more of the same.

“I feel like there was a certain stage during the tournament last year where my confidence wasn't great because I didn't feel like I was helping the team as much as I would have liked, but when I looked back, I actually did well,” Lowry said. “Winning just breeds confidence. ... Obviously as an individual it's much more confidence, but as a team, it certainly helped me last season. I felt like I kicked off after this tournament last season and played pretty well, and it certainly helped (McIlroy) since then, as well.”

You could certainly say that.