The second round at the Houston Open was temporarily suspended due to bad weather and it impacted Rory McIlroy more than most.
The morning wave of players, including Scottie Scheffler, who equalled the course record, were back in the clubhouse long before the rain arrived.
However, McIlroy, Maverick McNealy and Wyndham Clark were among the groups forced to exit the course midway through the afternoon.
They returned around two hours later and just about managed to complete the 18th hole, albeit somewhat in the dark.
What Rory McIlroy told his caddie on 18th hole at Houston Open
McIlroy was in a precarious position when he returned to the course on Friday afternoon, needing to make at least two birdies to ensure he made the cut.
Thankfully, the Northern Irishman made three consecutive on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes at Memorial Park to give himself a chance over the weekend.
McIlroy had this to say when asked whether he played better after the rain delay: “Not really. I mean, I hit it a little better coming in. I holed a couple of putts; that was it.
“Again, it’s the sort of golf course where it’s easy to just make a ton of pars, not a lot of trouble out there, but you just need some putts to go in to obviously make birdies.
“Started back off the suspension with a three-putt par on the eighth hole and yeah, hit some better shots coming in. Yeah, it was nice to see a couple putts go in and get finished and obviously get a couple more rounds here over the weekend.”
McIlroy also explained that it was slightly unsettling knowing he was close to the cut line, though he was pleased he didn’t need to birdie the last hole.
“Yeah, it’s pretty nice. It was a little dicey there at the end. Maverick made a really good up-and-down for par to make the cut. I was saying to (caddie) Harry [Diamond], I was just happy I had that shot cushion coming up the last because it was getting pretty dark.
“Yeah, look, nice to finish, nice to finish the round the way I did and looking forward to hopefully an uninterrupted weekend and get another 36 holes. Just try to, you know, keep improving and keep getting a little bit better.”
Rory McIlroy seven shots behind Houston Open leader Scottie Scheffler
While some players complete their second rounds on Saturday morning, McIlroy will be thinking about how he can catch Scheffler when he takes to the course this afternoon.
He’s seven shots behind the American after 36 holes, and although he doesn’t need to eliminate the deficit on Saturday, he certainly needs to get within three or four shots before the final round.
Of course, McIlroy will try to do that, but what’s arguably more important to him than winning the Houston Open week is feeling prepared ahead of the Masters.
He’s been the best player in the world this season, and it feels like this could be his year to put on the famous Green Jacket.
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