Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry combined to make a pair of crucial late birdies and hung onto a share of the lead after 36 holes of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Friday in Avondale, La.
The Ulsterman and Irishman posted a 2-under 70 in foursomes (alternate shot) in the second round. That moved them to 13-under 131, where they’re tied with Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard (70), David Lipsky and England’s Aaron Rai (70) and Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak (69).
The team event will move back to a four-ball (best ball) format on Saturday before foursomes are played for the final round at TPC Louisiana.
McIlroy and Lowry, playing the event together for the first time, started their second round on the back nine and had two birdies and two bogeys on their card before sinking consecutive birdies at the par-5 seventh and par-4 eighth. Lowry’s bunker shot at No. 8 rolled to within a few feet of the hole to set up the final birdie.
A more experienced pairing is part of a tie for fifth one shot behind the leaders. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele shot the round of the day, a 5-under 67, to move to 12 under for the tournament; they’d be part of the lead had they not taken their only bogey of the day at the 18th hole.
Cantlay and Schauffele won the tournament in 2022 and tied for fourth in 2023.
The cut line was 8 under, just five shots off the lead, as 41 of the 80 teams in the field made the weekend. Notables to miss the cut included Sahith Theegala/Will Zalatoris (6 under) and two sets of twin brothers, Pierceson and Parker Coody (5 under) and Denmark’s Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard (5 under).
–Field Level Media
