AVONDALE, La. — Rory McIlroy, enjoying for the primary time since profitable the Masters, teamed with Shane Lowry to shoot an 8-under 64 in better-play Thursday within the Zurich Basic, leaving the Irish defending champions six pictures behind leaders Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo.
PGA Tour rookies Salinda and Velo opened with a tournament-record 58 within the tour’s solely crew occasion. Danish similar twins Nicolai and Rasmus Holgaard had been a shot again. The groups will play alternate shot Friday, higher ball Saturday and alternate shot Sunday.
A big gallery gathered on the tenth tee at TPC of Louisiana earlier than 8 a.m. to see McIlroy. Shaking off an early-week sickness, he offered just a few highlights after a comparatively gradual begin.
“It was sensible to see so many individuals on the market on a Tuesday morning,” McIlroy mentioned. “It is at all times good to play in entrance of a supportive, enthusiastic crowed, and searching ahead to doing extra of that over the following few days.”
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Lowry carried the crew early, birdieing three of the primary holes after their back-nine begin and including one other on the par-5 18th.
McIlroy’s first birdie got here on an almost 20-foot putt on No. 1, which he celebrated with a light-hearted fist-pump.
McIlroy adopted that with an eagle on the par-5 second gap, hitting a 6-iron from 204 yards to five ft to get to eight beneath.
They added a birdie on the fourth however each pulled tee pictures left within the water on No. 6 and each made bogey. McIlroy settled for birdie on the par-5 seventh after narrowly lacking a 20-foot eagle putt.
“I believe typically each par you make appears like a bogey on these types of days, however then once more, you need to keep in mind that tomorrow and Sunday (alternate shot) are the vital days, and in the event you can shoot good scores on these days, you may transfer up the board fairly shortly,” McIlroy mentioned.
Salinda and Velo performed the entrance 9 in 10 beneath, with Salinda’s eagle on No. 7 and eight birdies. They added 4 birdies on the again 9, however parred three of the final 4.
“Very simple to play when golf when you’ve a companion that is stacking it and making a variety of putts,” Velo mentioned. “A number of actually clutch par saves that he had on the again 9, and it was a really, very stable day.”
Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama had been tied for third at 61 with the groups of Cam Davis-Adam Svensson, Paul Peterson-Thomas Rosenmueller and Kris Ventura-Antoine Rozner.
Adam Schenk had an albatross on the seventh, holing out from 231 yards. Schenk and Tyler Duncan shot 63.
Yannik and Jeremy Paul of Germany, the opposite similar twins within the discipline, shot 67.
