Rory, DJ discussed potential partnership for Zurich Classic
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Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson long-drive compilation
One can only wonder what their walk-up music might have been after PGA TOUR superstars Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson revealed they were planning a potential partnership at the 2020 Zurich Classic of New Orleans before the tournament was officially canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thankfully we will see two-time FedExCup champion and current world No. 1 McIlroy and 20-time PGA TOUR winner Johnson team up on May 17 for TaylorMade Driving Relief – a $3 million charity skins match against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff – to raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts.
But it turns out we may have had the opportunity to see the incredible power duo earlier had the pandemic not claimed the one team event on the PGA TOUR regular season calendar.
Speaking to Mike Tirico on NBC Sports, the pair admitted the partnership was one they had discussed before their upcoming match at Seminole Golf Club sees the return of live golf.
“I'm happy Rory is my teammate for sure,” Johnson said. “We’ve played a lot of golf together and we even talked about playing at the New Orleans tournament. I think we will be a good team.”
McIlroy, who had finished inside the top 5 in 10 of his last 11 worldwide starts with two wins before the pandemic, confirmed it was a serious consideration.
“It was funny, DJ rang me up the week after THE PLAYERS Championship when he was out on his boat and he said, ‘Hey, if the New Orleans tournament happens, would you want to be partners?’” McIlroy said.
“And I was like, ‘Yeah sure. I'm not sure if it is going to happen but if it does, yeah, that would be fun.’ We didn't get a chance to do it there, but we're getting the chance to do it at Seminole in a couple weeks’ time and that's going to be fun.”
No word yet as to if they might revisit the pairing for the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana but should they play well at Seminole, it is one partnership that shouldn’t be discounted.
In the three previous iterations of the tournament in its team format, some glamour pairings have included Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed-Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day-Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia-Tommy Fleetwood. But a McIlroy-Johnson combo could be the most formidable yet.
First up though, they must get past Fowler and Wolff at Seminole, an enticing team in its own right. As such, practice schedules will be amped up.
“I’m excited to play again. I've hit balls twice since THE PLAYERS for about an hour as they closed down the courses here in Palm Beach,” Johnson admitted. “But they did reopen last week … and I was actually very surprised at how well I hit it.
“For me it's the little things around the greens like chipping and putting … that's what takes a little bit longer to get your touch back. But full swing wise … sometimes a break actually helps me because I forget all the bad thoughts I had before I stopped playing.”
McIlroy joked he’d have his partners back after a couple of good practice rounds last weekend.
“I'm pretty encouraged. Sometimes you pick it up and it takes you a couple of days to find the middle of the clubface but thankfully this wasn't one of those times,” McIlroy said.
“So hopefully DJ can take some comfort in that and know that his partner is in pretty good form.”
As for that walk-up song … might we suggest “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled.