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Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry Share Lead Through 36 Holes at Zurich Classic

McIlroy is playing this event for the first time, and the two-man team from Ireland is in a great spot at the event's halfway point.

Jeff Ritter

Jun 14, 2022; Brookline, Massachusetts, USA; Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy walk on the tenth hole
Jun 14, 2022; Brookline, Massachusetts, USA; Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy walk on the tenth hole / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Rory McIlroy might make his first trip to the Zurich Classic a memorable one.

He's playing with his buddy and fellow Irishman Shane Lowry this week in the PGA Tour's annual two-man team event, and the duo shot a 2-under 70 in Friday's alternate shot, good enough to move to 13 under for the event and into a four-way tie for the lead at the halfway point. Lowy-McIlroy made two bogeys and four birdies, including a birdie 4 on two of TPC Louisiana's par 5s.

"Shane has got a wonderful short game, and it gives me confidence going for those greens whether it be the par-4s or the par-5s that if I get it anywhere up there around the green, I'm going to have a very good look for birdie after he hits his," McIlroy said.

The Irishmen turned a solid round into a very good one with birdies on 7 and 8, their 16th and 17th holes of the day. After McIlroy's big drive on the par-4 8th found a greenside bunker, Lowry hit a nice blast out of the sand to set up an up-down-birdie.

Three teams share the lead with McIlroy and Lowry: Aaron Rai-David Lipsky, Andrew Novak-Davis Thompson and Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard.

Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, who won this event in 2022, are part of a six-team pack one shot behind the leaders. Defending champs Nick Hardy and Davis Riley made the cut on the number and trail by five.

But for now the focus remains on McIlroy and Lowry. When asked if the friends might venture out to have some fun in New Orleans at some point this week, Lowry, who is playing this event for the fourth time, quickly shot it down.

"No, no, no. We're here to play a golf tournament. We'll enjoy ourselves. We'll go for a nice dinner tonight," Lowry said.

"I'll do the same thing I do when I have an afternoon off. I'll go back to the hotel, freshen up, and go for a little stroll around the city and have a look at—just look around. That's what I do."

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Jeff Ritter
JEFF RITTER

Jeff Ritter is the managing director of SI Golf. He has more than 20 years of sports media experience, and previously was the general manager at the Morning Read, where he led that business's growth and joined SI as part of an acquisition in 2022. Earlier in his career he spent more than a decade at SI and Golf Magazine, and his journalism awards include a MIN Magazine Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

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