Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are still pushing for victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with the pair just two shots off the lead ahead of the final round of the PGA Tour’s two-man team event. McIlroy and Lowry recorded a blemish-free eight under 64 in the best-ball format on Saturday to rise to 21 under for the tournament and sit in a share of third spot at TPC Louisiana.
Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair head the field on 23 under after a 12-under day, with the Utah natives’ 60 just one shot shy of the tournament-record 59 set by Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in round one of the 2022 edition. Luke List and Henrik Norlander are one stroke adrift of Fishburn and Lowry on 22 under, with Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard alongside McIlroy and Lowry a further shot back.
McIlroy and Lowry, who shared the lead on 13 under after 36 holes, made seven birdies across their final seven holes on Saturday following a slow start. Alternate shot will be the format for Sunday’s final round, live on Sky Sports from Golf from 3pm.
“Look, it was a tough day,” McIlroy said. “Birdies were a little harder to come by than they were on Thursday in the better-ball format.
“I think today was about staying patient knowing that the course was going to present some opportunities, especially on that back nine.”
Four-time major champion McIlroy is making his debut in this tournament having previously rejected offers from Bubba Watson to be his partner in earlier editions.
Leaders Fishburn and Blair, both winless on the PGA Tour, have been playing golf together since their junior high school days in Ogden, Utah. They carded 29 on the front nine, with the highlight an eagle at the par-five second, and came home in 31. Fishburn has made two cuts in nine starts in his rookie season in 2024, while Blair is making his 185th start on the PGA Tour with his best finish a tie for second at the 2023 Travelers Championship
Watch the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans live on Sky Sports Golf from 3pm on Sunday or stream with NOW.
