Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry 6 Back in Zurich Classic Defense

Avondale, La.-Rory McIlroy, who was playing for the first time since the winning of the master, got together with Shane Lowry to turn an 8-below 64 player in a better game on Thursday in the Zurich classic, and the Irish defending champions behind the leaders behind the leaders Isaiiah Salinda and Kevin Velo.

The PGA Tour-Rokies Salinda and Velo opened with a tournament record 58 in the only team event of the tour. Danish identical twins Nicolai and Rasmus Holgaard were a shot back. The teams play an alternative shot on Friday, the better ball on Saturday and the alternative shot on Sunday.

A large gallery gathered before 8 a.m. on the 10th tea in TPC from Louisiana to see Mcilroy. He shook illness at an early week and delivered a few highlights after a relatively slow start.

“It was brilliant to see so many people out there on a Tuesday morning,” said Mcilroy. “It is always nice to play in front of a supportive, enthusiastic crow and look forward to doing more of it in the next few days.”

Lowry wore the team early, birded three of the first holes after their start and added another par-5 18.

Mcilroy’s first birdie came to No. 1 on an almost 20-foot putt, which he celebrated with a carefree fist pump.

McIlroy followed that with an eagle on the Par-5 second hole and hit a 6-iron from 204 meters to 5 feet to get to 8.

They added a birdie on the fourth, but both pulled t -shots to No. 6 in the water and both made Bogey. McIlroy chose Birdie on the seventh Par-5 after he had just missed a 20-foot eagle putt.

“I think sometimes every par you make, like a bogey on such days, but on the other hand you have to remember that tomorrow and Sunday (alternative shot) are the important days, and if you can achieve good results on these days, you can move the board up pretty quickly,” said Mcilroy.

Salinda and Velo played the front nine in 10 under, Salindas eagles on No. 7 and eight birdies. They added four birdies to the back nine, but mean three of the last four.

“Very easy to play when you have golf when you have a partner who stacks him and makes a lot of putts,” said Velo. “A few really cooled par -parades that he had on the back nine, and it was a very, very solid day.”

Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama were bound at the age of 61 with the teams of Cam Davis-Adam Svensson, Paul Peterson-Thomas Rosenmüller and Kris Ventura-Antoine Rozner.

Adam Schenk had an Albatros at the seventh, which picked up from 231 yards. Schenk and Tyler Duncan shot 63.

Yannik and Jeremy Paul from Germany, the other identical twins in the field, shot 67.