Shane Lowry in stitches as Rory McIlroy savaged by team-mate at Zurich Classic

Shane Lowry couldn’t help but laugh at his own blunt take on Rory McIlroy’s game during the first round of the Zurich Classic.

Fresh off his Masters victory earlier this month, completing the prestigious career Grand Slam, McIlroy skipped last week’s RBC Heritage at Harbour Town and jumped back into the fray in New Orleans on Thursday. Despite a self-confessed rocky start at the team-based event, he was left chuckling alongside his team-mate, Lowry, at a particularly blunt assessment.

Chatting with Ten Golf’s YouTube channel about their opening performance, McIlroy said: “Yeah, I mean, Shane got off to a really good start. I didn’t do anything.

“Shane joked I could have got an extra couple of hours in bed if I wanted to.” Lowry was seen chuckling over the comments that McIlroy relayed with a light-hearted smile. It comes after Lowry nailed birdies on three of the first four holes at TPC Louisiana, starting from the back nine.

Meanwhile, a par save on the 14th after McIlroy’s bogey also helped keep the players in the competition, reports the Mirror US. Lowry then bagged another birdie on the 18th par-five, setting the stage for McIlroy to find his groove.

The 35-year-old scored a birdie on the first and an eagle on the second, followed by yet another birdie from Lowry on the third. Speaking on his performance, McIlroy said: “I played a bit better coming in, and yeah, it was okay.

“We felt like we left a few shots out there, but we were just saying that 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.” McIlroy and Lowry wrapped up their round with an impressive eight-under-par, positioning themselves at T28 as they gear up for Friday’s challenging foursomes format.

Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo currently sit atop the leader board, 14-under. And Lowry was quick to echo McIlroy’s thoughts headed into Friday and the weekend, adding: “Like Rory mentioned over there, the two foursomes days in this tournament are huge.

“That’s what separates the field and hopefully we can go out tomorrow and shoot a good score and work from there at the weekend.” The Zurich Open, unique in the regular PGA Tour line-up, features teams competing in both fourball and foursomes formats.

In fourball, team-mates play individually per hole, with the best score counting towards the team’s total. For instance, if one player scores a birdie while the other makes par, the birdie is recorded for the team.

Foursomes, on the other hand, require team-mates to alternate shots throughout the round. One player tees off, the next hits from where the ball lands, and so on, creating a strategic partnership dynamic.

The players take turns until the hole is finished, and a score is recorded like traditional stroke play. At the Zurich Classic, fourballs are played on Thursday and Saturday, while foursomes are played on Friday and Sunday.

Lowry and McIlroy are back on the course with the aim of defending their title from the 2024 Zurich Classic, where they triumphed over Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer in a nail-biting playoff after both teams ended the tournament with a total score of 25-under-par.

• Source: NEWHD MEDIA