RORY MCILROY AND Shane Lowry have kicked off their title defence at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The opening day fourball action is still underway at TPC Louisiana, but McIlroy and Lowry have finished their round, firing an eight-under 64.
They are currently tied for 14th, six shots off the lead held by American duo Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo, who shot a stunning 58. The duo eclipsed Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard for the lead about an hour after the brothers tied the Four-ball scoring record with a 13-under 59.
McIlroy and Lowry are bidding to become the first team to successfully defend their title at the Zurich Classic.
An eagle on the second was a highlight, while Lowry led the charge as they carded birdies on the 10th, 11th, 13th, 18th, first, fourth and seventh. A bogey on the sixth was a setback in a low-scoring round across the field.
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Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were off to a hot start as a team in The Zurich Classic of New Orleans ⛳️🔥 pic.twitter.com/wYBQIILiz7
McIlroy, who is back in action for the first time since winning the Masters, said after the round:
“Shane got off to a really good start. I didn’t do anything.
“Shane joked I could have got a couple extra hours in bed if I wanted to. I played a bit better coming in. It was okay.
“We felt like we left a few shots out there, but we were just saying the two Foursomes days on Friday and Sunday here are the important days in this tournament, and it’s important for us to obviously post a good score tomorrow.”
The pair start Friday’s foursomes at 6.49pm Irish time.
Meanwhile in the LPGA, Leona Maguire made a difficult start to the Chevron Championship in Texas, which is the first major of the year.
Maguire was on four-over at the 17th hole when the tournament was suspended due to a storm which halted the round. She opened with a bogey and dropped further shots on the fifth and sixth to put her at three-over on the turn.
Maguire was on four-over at 13 and birdied the 16th before picking up a fifth bogey on 17.
China’s Liu Yan and South Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran each fired a seven-under par 65 to share the lead in the opening round.
Both Asian standouts had bogey-free starts for 18 holes at Carlton Woods.
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McIlroy and Lowry kick off Zurich Classic title defence with opening 64
LAST UPDATE | 25 Apr
RORY MCILROY AND Shane Lowry have kicked off their title defence at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The opening day fourball action is still underway at TPC Louisiana, but McIlroy and Lowry have finished their round, firing an eight-under 64.
They are currently tied for 14th, six shots off the lead held by American duo Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo, who shot a stunning 58. The duo eclipsed Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard for the lead about an hour after the brothers tied the Four-ball scoring record with a 13-under 59.
McIlroy and Lowry are bidding to become the first team to successfully defend their title at the Zurich Classic.
An eagle on the second was a highlight, while Lowry led the charge as they carded birdies on the 10th, 11th, 13th, 18th, first, fourth and seventh. A bogey on the sixth was a setback in a low-scoring round across the field.
McIlroy, who is back in action for the first time since winning the Masters, said after the round:
“Shane got off to a really good start. I didn’t do anything.
“Shane joked I could have got a couple extra hours in bed if I wanted to. I played a bit better coming in. It was okay.
“We felt like we left a few shots out there, but we were just saying the two Foursomes days on Friday and Sunday here are the important days in this tournament, and it’s important for us to obviously post a good score tomorrow.”
The pair start Friday’s foursomes at 6.49pm Irish time.
Meanwhile in the LPGA, Leona Maguire made a difficult start to the Chevron Championship in Texas, which is the first major of the year.
Maguire was on four-over at the 17th hole when the tournament was suspended due to a storm which halted the round. She opened with a bogey and dropped further shots on the fifth and sixth to put her at three-over on the turn.
Maguire was on four-over at 13 and birdied the 16th before picking up a fifth bogey on 17.
China’s Liu Yan and South Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran each fired a seven-under par 65 to share the lead in the opening round.
Both Asian standouts had bogey-free starts for 18 holes at Carlton Woods.
Additional reporting by Press Association and – © AFP 2025
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Golf Rory McIlroy Shane Lowry