McIlroy and Lowry set to defend title at Zurich Classic

AVONDALE, Louisiana — Rory McIlroy — his voice raspy from a cold that made it tough for him to get out of bed a couple of days earlier — expressed relief that he'd have a teammate to lean on in his first PGA Tour event since his historic triumph at the Masters two weekends ago.

"Just to be here and feeling better is an achievement," McIlroy said Wednesday while seated next to Shane Lowry, his teammate in this week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where the pair are defending champions. "But I need to put a little bit of practice and a bit of work in today to make sure I don't let this man down."

The way McIlroy's humility and authenticity complement his extraordinary talent has made him arguably the most popular and charismatic golfer in the world.