Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry completed in a share of twelfth place of their defence of the Zurich Basic of New Orleans as Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin triumphed at TPC Louisiana.
McIlroy and Lowry have been aiming to turn into the primary duo to go back-to-back for the reason that Zurich Basic turned a two-man workforce occasion in 2017 and started the ultimate day on 22-under-par, 5 pictures adrift of 54-hole leaders Novak and Griffin.
They completed their fourth spherical six pictures behind Novak and Griffin after an-even par 72 throughout Sunday’s foursomes, wanting stable on the entrance 9 with two birdies however then struggling three bogeys coming dwelling that despatched them out of competition.
They managed to complete with a flourish as Lowry holed a silky birdie putt on the par-five 18th however that got here too late.
Novak and Griffin secured their first PGA Tour wins, the victory for Novak coming only a week after he misplaced the RBC Heritage in a dramatic play-off in opposition to Justin Thomas.
The important thing second arrived when Frankie Capan III and Jake Knapp, who had stayed with Griffin and Novak all the best way, got here up with a mistake on the again 9.
It was Capan III who discovered the water together with his the tee shot on the seventeenth and ended up with bogey. In the meantime, Griffin got here up with a sensational 35ft birdie to place his workforce two pictures forward with one gap to play.
From there, they stayed robust with a par on the final to safe what is a large victory for his or her careers.
Elsewhere, Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard will likely be ruing what might have been after missteps all through their closing spherical, with bogeys on the third, tenth, and fifteenth leaving them one shot behind the winners on 27 underneath.
The Zurich Basic was McIlroy’s first occasion since he accomplished the profession Grand Slam at The Masters on April 13 and ended an 11-year main drought stretching again to the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
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McIlroy sank a monster putt on the 18th gap throughout spherical three in New Orleans
McIlroy will then head to the PGA Championship per week later for the second males’s main of the yr at Quail Hole in North Carolina, a venue the place he has gained 4 occasions prior to now.
Watch the subsequent PGA Tour occasion – The CJ Cup Byron Nelson – stay on Sky Sports activities Golf from Thursday. Early protection begins at 12.45pm forward of full protection from 9pm.
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