McIlroy and Lowry among four teams tied for lead after one round of Zurich Classic

AVONDALE – It was a fantastic Thursday for playing and attacking the greens at the TPC of Louisiana.

The skies were sunny with a bit of wind to contend with, and the course was in terrific shape. The greens were lush and rolled true as the temperature reached a near-perfect 77 degrees, while the wind picked up to 11 miles per hour.

The players appreciated the conditions and demonstrated their appreciation through their level of play.

A year ago, an 11-under-par 61 led after one round in the best ball (four-ball) competition, and it took a score of 30-under-par 258 to win the tournament, with Nick Hardy and Davis Riley claiming the title.

Fast forward to this year, and once again an 11-under-par 61 has claimed the lead after the first round, with four teams tied at that mark.

This includes the formidable duo of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, who recorded 11 birdies and no bogeys to share the lead. McIlroy and Lowry birdied the 18th hole late in the afternoon to tie for the lead. They came out red-hot with birdies on their first four holes, setting the tone for a very successful day, particularly for McIlroy in his first round ever at this event.

Others at 11-under-par include Brehm and Hubbard, Kohles and Kizzire, along with Rai and Lipsky.

Three duos are one shot back after posting 10-under-par 62s, including Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak, Thomas Detry and Bob MacIntyre, along with Cameron Champ and MJ Daffue.

Among the top-rated teams in the world rankings, Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris are within range at 7-under-par, alongside the strong duo of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, while defending champions Hardy and Riley finished at 6-under-par 66. Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker are also at 6-under-par.

Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama also finished at 6-under-66, as did the sibling tandem of Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Eric Cole produced a hole-in-one on the fifth hole, which was the highlight of the day.

Scores are expected to be higher on Friday with the alternate shot format coming into play.