Having enjoyed a break in the aftermath of ending his decade-plus wait for that elusive fifth major to complete the clean sweep, McIlroy was back in the spotlight on Thursday as he opened his Zurich Classic of New Orleans title defence alongside playing partner Shane Lowry. McIlroy, who spent time back home in Northern Ireland with family and friends following the Augusta drama, spoke ahead of the Louisiana first round of how last year’s victory “injected a little bit of joy back into golf for me in some way”. And the pair had plenty to smile about over the opening stages of the fourball format – with birdie success across three of the first four holes. McIlroy’s individual highlight arrived on the second hole of the return leg when he posted eagle delight on the par five. McIlroy and Lowry finished tied 28th on eight under – with Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo leading the field of 80 pairings on a tournament record 14 under thanks to an eagle and 12 birdies. Lowry’s early form led to that strong start off the 10th, with McIlroy enjoying an impact across the return leg with a birdie on the first hole then eagle. McIlroy enjoyed the announcement by the TPC Louisiana first-tee starter of the Northern Ireland ace as Masters champion. “I was glad they remembered The Players as well,” McIlroy said with a smile, as reported by the official PGA Tour website. “It seems like a distant memory at this point. “Look, very nice. I could get used to it.” McIlroy added: “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. "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 (Friday, 6.49pm UK time start).” No team has ever mounted a successful defence of the title. “I think sometimes every par you make feels like a bogey on these sorts of days, but then again, you have to remember that (Friday) and Sunday are the important days,” McIlroy said. “And if you can shoot good scores on those days, you can move up the board pretty quickly.” Lowry described it as “a nice start and then we got a little bit slow towards the end of the front nine and then we caught fire”. “You always know in fourball, especially early Thursday morning, the golf course is probably going to play at its easiest,” he said on the official PGA Tour website. “You've got to get out there and shoot a score. “We got off to a nice start and then we got a little bit slow towards the end of the front nine and then we caught fire – Rory caught fire early on our back nine and then we lost a bit of momentum towards the end. “It was one of those days where you do want to go low, (but) I think the two foursomes days in this tournament are huge. "That’s what separates the field. Hopefully we can go out tomorrow and shoot a good score and work from there to the weekend.”