The Zurich Classic of New Orleans’ interesting format sets up an exciting showdown. Rory McIlroy came into Louisiana as the defending champion along with his Irish counterpart Shane Lowry. The duo had a rough first day, carding 8 under par in the foursomes, finishing at T28. The American duo Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo hold the lead after the first round with 14 under par, closely followed by the Hojgaard brothers at 13 under par.
Speaking to the press after a not-so-good first round of the $9.2M event, Rory McIlroy candidly opined that he is still focused on winning and is not relaxed because of the Masters. McIlroy had previously completed his Career Grand Slam with a long-awaited title triumph at Augusta. Instead, he feels calmer than usual because Lowry is there to clean up his mistakes, if any. “ It’s just playing golf. If anything, a little more relaxed knowing that I have a partner that if I do hit a bad shot that more times than not can bail me out.” The five-time major champion explained.
McIlroy has had a different kind of outing at Louisiana. Lowry did all the heavy lifting in the first nine, with 5 birdies and 7 holes being carded with his score. McIlroy found it difficult to hit a birdie throughout the day, only carding 2 birdies in total. He did need the bailing out in the front nine.
However, the Northern Irish golfer did have his moment. On the 2nd hole (11th hole for them on the day), McIlroy registered a brilliant eagle that reminded everyone of just how clinical he can be. This came right after a birdie on the first. But there were also moments when the pair looked like they were out of their depth.
“Well, apart from the 6th.” McIlroy had added after Lowry had reminded him
The sixth proved to be a particularly tricky one for the duo on the first day of proceedings. Both Lowry and McIlroy had to take penalties after both their shots fell in the creek. An unfortunate incident that eventually led to an uncharacteristic bogey for the duo, their only one of the day.
-8 | 64
Rory didn’t have his best stuff today which was to be expected. He missed a lot of putts and they both bogeyed the 6th hole.
Pretty solid day all things considered. Tomorrow is alternate shot!
— Rory Tracker (@RoryTrackr) April 24, 2025
They have an uphill battle to climb in the coming days and are right now six strokes off first place. But having been here and won before, the Irish pair know that it is very much possible.
The Irish duo’s approach for the rest of the tournament
The format of the Zurich Classic allows for significant movement across the four days. The first day, which was foursomes, where the best score of the two gets carded, is a good way to get low scores. The second day is alternate, where each golfer of the team takes a shot in order, with one teeing off and the other taking the next shot, and so on.
The second format is where having good knowledge about one’s partner’s strengths and weaknesses pays dividends. The formats then repeat for the last two days. Lowry knows that the lead is not insurmountable and the low scores that happen on day one are not a surprise. “You always know in four-balls, especially early Thursday morning, the golf course is probably going to play at its easiest. You’ve got to get out there and shoot a score.” The Irish golfer stated.
There is still one more day of foursomes left, day 3, where they can go for very low scores and keep the pressure on the rest of the field. The advantage they have? They have won this tournament before. “It was one of those days where you do want to go low, but like Rory mentioned over there, I think the two foursome days in this tournament are huge. That’s what separates the field. Hopefully we can go out tomorrow and shoot a good score and work from there to the weekend.” Lowry added.
Do you think McIlroy and Lowry can improve on their performance and defend their title at New Orleans?
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