He’d just hit a wedge to makable birdie range and wanted to mark his ball for the approach shot of Justin Rose, who’d put his second shot in the pond.
By the time McIlroy rolled in the birdie putt to finish with a red number for the day at one-under 70, the sky was nearly black.
Tied for 11th as everyone went to dinner—or bed—McIlroy was only three shots behind clubhouse leader Russell Henley, though Louis Oosthuizen also was at four under with two holes to finish when play was suspended by darkness.
McIlroy made two tremendous putts in the final half hour.
Rose volunteered to putt out for par, and thus hustle to the 18th tee.
Meantime, with the green lighted by a nearby scoreboard, McIlroy took time to line up his putt from the fringe, and then drained it for par.
After Rose hit up to tap-in range to save par, and Johnson hit an OK bunker shot, McIlroy stepped up and made his eight-foot birdie putt.
I was sort of, like, I think it’s straight, I’ll hit it straight and we’ll see.
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