It made the day-long viewing session a lot of fun Thursday, even into the night with sunset golf on the west coast.
And when it became clear that dusk was falling on the course, it even inspired some of the pros to play quicker so they could sign that scorecard officially Thursday evening.
Thursday’s early groupings saw the wind pick up toward the end of their rounds, while the later groups saw the wind die down toward the end of theirs.
He gained 2.99 strokes on the field on the greens alone Thursday, and later pinpointed that as the part of his game he was happiest with.
Will it be better than the four under round Russell Henley shot Thursday? Probably, but not by much.
The quandary was clear: play quicker and in less light to finish your round, or play at your normal pace and come back early Friday morning to complete the first round.
McIlroy and Dustin Johnson had Justin Rose jump up to the 18th tee to hit his tee shot before officials blew the horn signaling the end of play.
With any luck the second round will finish Friday afternoon, and with it will come the cut, trimming the field for the weekend.
According to the folks at DataGolf, the cutline will likely fall in the three or four over range.
When the Masters comes around, be sure to tune in to hear him and fellow staffers recount the most memorable tournaments in Augusta National history on A Pod Unlike Any Other.