Rory McIlroy has admitted that Saturday is likely to be 'hard' as the golfer and Shane Lowry look to get back in contention for glory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The Northern Irishman is currently competing in his first tournament since winning the Masters earlier this month, where he fended off competition from Justin Rose to finally achieve the career Grand Slam.
McIlroy and Lowry won in New Orleans 12 months ago.
However, after Friday's action, the pair have found themselves six shots adrift of US rookies Kevin Velo and Isaiah Salinda.
Rory McIlroy has admitted that Saturday is likely to be 'hard' as the golfer and Shane Lowry look to get back in contention for glory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
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McIlroy and Lowry started well in America but now have plenty of work to do if they're to make history by becoming the first pairing to win the competition two years in a row.
And McIlroy, per Fox Sports, has now opened up - admitting that he expects Saturday to be 'hard'.
“We were six-under through 12 and cruising and then a bit of a bad finish but I didn’t feel like we played that badly to have the finish that we did," he said.
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“A couple of loose shots here and there.
“Tomorrow it will be hard to stay patient because the four-ball format you just have to try to make as many birdies as you can.”
Lowry also opened up, with the golf star confessing the duo were 'disappointed'.
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An eagle on the card in alternate shot for @McIlroyRory and @ShaneLowryGolf ☘️
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 25, 2025
📺 @PGATOURLIVE pic.twitter.com/rEu5gDwt3d
Reacting to the day's action, the 38-year-old said: "We're obviously disappointed.
"I feel like 11-under is the worst score we could be for two days."
While McIlroy and Lowry toiled, it was an afternoon to remember for rookies Velo and Salinda - with the pair both determined to claim the first PGA Tour title of his career.
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Velo was enthused, with the American saying: “Overall really solid. We played really to our strengths today.
“We played pretty flawless. We feed off each other really easily.”
As for Salinda, the 28-year-old added: “I like our chances in alternate shot versus anyone in the field.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are aiming to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the second year in a row
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“We just keep playing how we’re playing, set ourselves up for Sunday and give ourselves a shot."
The Zurich Classic will resume on Saturday, with a purse of $9.2million on the line.
Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin currently sit second on the leaderboard, with Danish pair Nicolai Hojgaard and Rasmus Hojgaard sitting in third.
