"We kept both balls in play" - Rory McIlroy on his approach to the first round of 2024 Zurich Classic

Following the impressive start at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Rory McIlroy said he was glad to have a good start here, which was quite important in the better ball format.

Rory McIlroy made his tournament debut at the TPC Louisiana on Thursday, April 25, alongside his teammate Shane Lowry. The duo started well and fired an 11-under 61 to take the joint one-stroke lead alongside Ryan Brehm/Mark Hubbard, Ben Kohles/Patton Kizzire, and Aaron Rai/David Lipsky.

During the post-round interview, Rory McIlroy spoke about the pressure of starting well at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He said having a great start in the four-ball format was crucial.

"You know that you sort of need to get off to a good start, and thankfully we did," he continued. "We were 4-under through 4, which was really nice to see, and from there you've got some momentum and you're just trying to keep it going."

"But for the most part today, we kept both balls in play. We were having two looks basically on every hole at birdie, and that's the way you need to play better ball. Everyone thinks it's maybe a bit more gung ho than that, but as long as you have two balls in play off the tee, two balls on the green, I think you're always going to do pretty well in this format," he added.

The McIlroy-Lowry duo started with four back-to-back birdies and then added two more to shoot 30 on the front nine. On the back nine, the duo picked up five more birdies to conclude the first day at TPC Lousiana on high.

---

When will Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry tee off at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Friday?

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will begin their second round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Friday, April 26 from the tenth tee at 9:53 am ET. The duo is grouped with Kurt Kitayama and Collin Morikawa for the first two rounds.

While the first round of the Zurich Classic was played in the four-ball format, the Friday round will be played in the foursome (alternate shot) format. Under the foursome, the players will take alternate turns to hit the shot until the ball is holed. One will tee off on the even-numbered hole, while the other teammate will begin the odd-numbered hole.

Following the two rounds of the Zurich Classic, the top 33 teams and ties will advance to the weekend.