Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry make 11 birdies for share of Zurich lead

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are enjoying their first taste of the Big Easy.

The friends and former Ryder Cup teammates are tied for first after one round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Thursday in Avondale, La.

After hitting Bourbon Street for a steak dinner before the tournament, McIlroy and Lowry shot an 11-under 61 in Thursday's four-ball (best ball) action, racking up 11 birdies without a bogey. It was a stellar showing from the Ulsterman and Irishman, who have five major titles between them, in their Zurich debuts.

McIlroy and Lowry ripped off four straight birdies en route to a 6-under 30 on the front nine, then came home in 5-under 31. They're tied with the teams of Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard, Ben Kohles and Patton Kizzire, and David Lipsky and Englishman Aaron Rai.

One stroke behind that quartet of teams are Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak, Cameron Champ and South Africa's MJ Daffue, and Belgian Thomas Detry and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre.

The teams will play foursomes (alternate shot) -- considered the more difficult of the two formats -- on Friday before the 36-hole cut. The field will proceed to play four-balls on Saturday and foursomes on Sunday.

Eric Cole and Russ Cochran find themselves tied for 74th following a 3-under 69, but Cole got to enjoy a hole-in-one at the 207-yard, par-3 14th hole.