Instead the roar came from the 15th green, some 400 yards away, where Phil Mickelson had just canned a nine-footer for par to stay one shot inside the cut line.
Sunday’s biggest story will be about whichever man plays 72 holes in the fewest total strokes and hoists the U.S.
His opening-round of four-over 75 had left him with work to do, and it became clear midway through Friday afternoon that four over would be the likely number to make the weekend.
He played uncharacteristically steady golf the rest of the front nine, making seven pars in a row before adding another birdie at 10 to get to two over.
He was paired with Xander Schauffele and Max Homa, with whom he plays plenty of practice rounds in San Diego including regular matches at The Farms. The crowd loves Homa.
“It’s similar because we’re all playing in the same group,” Schauffele said.
Mickelson was swinging well and taking aggressive lines, leaving himself with a series of touchy up-and-downs — from a greenside bunker on No.
“Anything inside 10 feet, he was pretty automatic on the back and a lot of really good chips.
All that was left was surviving the gettable par-5 18th, and Mickelson laced one 332 down the left side.
He’s three years ahead and seven shots behind Richard Bland, who co-leads at five under.
“It’s going to get tougher and tougher pins and I’ll try to be patient and pick my spots.
As Mickelson — and his crowd — approached the 18th green Friday evening, another famous golfer appeared in the background.
Dethier is a 2014 graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.