Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are tied for the lead after the opening round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event after carding an 11-under-par 61.
With the first round played on the fourball format, the Irish duo registered 11 birdies overall to sit in a fourway tie for the lead alongside three other teams: Aaron Rai and David Lipsky, Ben Kohles and Patton Kizzire, and Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard.
McIlroy and Lowry, probably the most star-studded pair in the field, birdied 10 of their opening 14 holes, with each player rolling in for five birdies apiece.
Making his @Zurich_Classic debut, @McIlroyRory birdies on the first! 👏 pic.twitter.com/l1ELjjtgYk
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 25, 2024
They narrowly failed to add birdies on 16 and 17, though they joined the leading trio on 11-under on the par-five 18th, both players finding the green in two, with Lowry the first to roll his eagle putt up to tap-in range.
Speaking after the round, Lowry said: "We both played nice golf. We both made some nice birdies and contributed to the team, and I think we're very happy with the day."
One stroke back from the leaders on 10-under are a trio of teams, including the pairing of Thomas Detry and Bob MacIntyre.
Canadian duo Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin are three strokes back on eight-under. The high-profile Ryder Cup pairing of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffle registered a seven-under 65, as did another high-powered duo in form of Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris.
As expected, scoring was low on Day 1 under fourball rules, but Friday's foursomes should prove a different story.
The Zurich Classic is the sole team event on the PGA Tour, having adopted that format in 2017. After the cut tomorrow evening, Round 3 on Saturday will return to fourballs, while the tournament will conclude with foursomes on Sunday.
