Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy finished the first round of the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans tied for first place with a score of 11 under. McIlroy and Lowry are among the pundits’ favorites to win the title at Avondale.

Following their performance Thursday at the Zurich Classic, Lowry and McIlroy held the usual press conference. Both agreed on how much they are enjoying their participation in the event.

Shane Lowry had this to say:

“Any day you go out and play the round of golf we did, you’re going to have a good time. We enjoyed it. 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, and quick turnaround before tomorrow.”

“Looking forward to getting out in foursomes tomorrow. Should be fun, as well. It’s a format that’s tougher, but it is an enjoyable format.”

As for Rory McIlroy, he said the following:

“It’s nice to come here, team up with a really good friend, and if we play a good round tomorrow, it’ll be awesome to be in contention for the weekend and try to get a win on the PGA Tour with a friend beside me.”

This is Rory McIlroy’s first experience at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, while Shane Lowry has played there four times (2024 is his fifth appearance). Lowry’s best result was finishing 13th in 2022.

A look at Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s participation in the 2024 Zurich Classic

The McIlroy-Lowry team scored 11 under during the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, played in the foursome format (both players alternate shots over the same ball). Their performance included 11 birdies with no bogeys.

McIlroy and Lowry played the second round in the so-called “Morning Wave”. The format used was four-ball, in which each player plays his ball and the best score between them for each hole is the team score. McIlroy and Lowry had four birdies and two bogeys to tie as clubhouse leaders with a score of 13 under.

Aaron Rai and David Lipski also finished the second round with a score of 13 under and share first place with McIlroy and Lowry, with the second round still to finish.