A 3-putt bogey was McIlroy's result, yet his momentum never waned. Standing in the 11th fairway as 50 shades of green rustled behind him, only one thought existed in his mind: the shot at hand. There was no running ahead like those outside the ropes; the Ulsterman remained in a bubble on his own creation.

Rose, who shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to fly into the lead, maintained his one-shot advantage into the weekend. Bryson DeChambeau jumped into second, however, after his 4-under 68 on Friday. Those two are in the final pairing in the penultimate day.