After Rory McIlroy finally won his elusive first Masters green jacket, his friend Shane Lowry hinted he might be close to hanging things up for good. "This means everything to him," Lowry, 38, told Golf Channel.

“I think, for him, it’s been everything,” said Lowry of McIlroy’s quest to win the Masters Tournament and with it, become the sixth player to achieve the career grand slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a team event on the PGA Tour at TPC Louisiana; Rory McIlroy and Ryder Cup team-mate Shane Lowry are the defending champions; Watch live on Thursday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf,