McIlroy & Lowry Slip Late, Trail by Six at Zurich Classic | Foursomes Drama Sets Up Birdie Hunt in Fourball
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, the defending champions at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, remain six shots off the lead heading into the weekend after a late-round stumble during Friday’s foursomes. The Irish duo, who are aiming to become the first team to successfully defend the Zurich Classic title, were six-under through 12 holes before dropping three crucial shots in the final stretch, finishing with a 69.
Now sitting at 13-under-par, McIlroy and Lowry will need to go low in Saturday’s fourball format, known for its birdie-friendly setup, to close the gap on current leaders Kevin Velo and Isaiah Salinda. With McIlroy fresh off his Masters win and Lowry in strong form, fans are eager to see if the pair can mount a weekend charge.
Stay tuned for live leaderboard updates, highlights, and analysis as the action continues at TPC Louisiana. Also featuring performances from Ben Griffin, Andrew Novak, the Højgaard twins, and other top contenders.
Don’t miss the drama, the birdies, and the battles as the Zurich Classic heats up!
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Mroy and Lowry trail leaders by six at Zurich Classic after late slip defending champions Rory Mroy and Shane Lowry remained six shots off the lead at the halfway stage of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after a late stumble on Friday saw them drop three shots in their final holes. The Irish duo hoping to become the first team to successfully defend the Zurich Classic title began Friday’s Forsomes round already six shots back. Following an impressive eight underpar 64 in the fourball format on Thursday through 12 holes on Friday, Maroy and Lowry were surging six underpar for the round and closing in on the leaders. But the momentum shifted late with bogeies at their final two holes resulting in a three under 69. The pair now sit on 13 under parad heading into the weekend. We were six under through 12 and cruising then had a bit of a bad finish. But I didn’t feel like we played that badly to have the finish that we did, said Mroy, making his first start since claiming his career grand slam at the Masters two weeks ago. A couple of loose shots here and there. Mroy kickstarted their round with an 11 ft eagle at the par five second, followed by four birdies to lift them into a share of second midway through the day. However, a missed green on 13 and failure to hit greens in regulation on the final two holes led to a frustrating finish. Saturday’s third round will switch back to the four ball best ball format, offering more scoring opportunities before the decisive forsomes finale on Sunday. Tomorrow it will be hard to stay patient, Mroy added. In the fourball format, you just have to try to make as many birdies as you can. At the top of the leaderboard, US rookies Kevin Vel and Isaiah Celinda held on to their lead with a matching 69, putting them at 19 underpar for the tournament. They lead fellow Americans Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak by one shot with Danish twins Raasmus and Nikolai Hoygard a further stroke behind in third. England’s David Skins and Ben Taylor moved into fifth at 15 under after a strong 67, while Aaron Ryan American partner Sahit Thie trail by one more at 14 under. Scotland’s Robert McIntyre and Belgium’s Thomas Detri who are grouped with Mroy and Lowry at 13 under also signed for a 69 in Friday’s round. Format recap, four ball Thursday and Saturday. Each player plays their own ball. The best score counts. Forsomes. Friday and Sunday. Players alternate shots with one ball, demanding precision and teamwork.
