Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since winning the Masters, teamed with Shane Lowry to shoot an 8-under 64 in better-play Thursday in the Zurich Classic, leaving the Irish defending champions six shots behind leaders Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Vetlo.

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry began their Zurich Classic title defence with a solid eight-under-par 64 in Thursday's opening round at TPC Louisiana. The Irish pair, playing together for the first time since McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam at Augusta earlier this month,