Tough first day for McIlory and Lowry as both struggled at the US Open

It was a hard day at the office for both Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy as the friends are paired together for round two.

IRISH PAIRING: Friends Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were paired together for the opening two days of the US Open and will need to lean on each other following a tough first round. Pic: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

In pairing Rory McIlroy with Shane Lowry for the first two days of the US Open, many felt organisers had done the Irish duo a favour. In an unexpected way, they did.

The close friends were at least able to commiserate with one another in the closest quarters as Oakmont showed its teeth early to bite both hard as their opening rounds ran away from them in Pittsburgh on Thursday.