Rory McIlroy reveals how Lowry rubbed salt in wounds after tough start at Zurich Classic

Competing for the first time since his sensational victory at Augusta National, has revealed that Shane Lowry told him that he could have 'had a couple of extra hours in bed' after his slow start at the Zurich Open. Thankfully for the champion, his teammate hit the ground running at TPC Louisiana to ensure that they remained in contention.

The pair started on the 10th, with Lowry making four birdies in the outward half. McIlroy then managed to get in on the act with a birdie on the first before an excellent eagle on the par-5 second.

Lowry then made another birdie before the duo dropped a shot at the sixth, with McIlroy making amends in the following hole.

Speaking after play concluded, the Northern Irishman revealed that Lowry had made a cheeky joke about how it took him a few holes to find his form. He explained: "Shane got off to a really good start. I didn't do anything.

"Shane joked I could have got a couple extra hours in bed if I wanted to. But, yeah, I played a bit better coming in. It was okay. We felt like we left a few shots out there. But we were just saying the two foursomes days on Friday and Sunday here are the important days in this tournament, and it's important for us to obviously post a good score tomorrow."

The impressive round saw the Ryder Cup teammates find themselves six shots behind American duo Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo, who hit an impressive 58.

Speaking about how he enjoyed being announced as a Masters champion ahead of the competition, McIlroy added: "I was glad they remembered The Players as well in there. It seems like a distant memory at this point. Look, very nice. I could get used to it.

"It was brilliant to see so many people out there on a Thursday morning. We had a great time playing in front of them last year. It was a great atmosphere, especially at the weekend. It's always nice to play in front of a supportive, enthusiastic crowd and looking forward to doing more of that over the next few days."