Three late birdies got Rory McIlroy through the cutoff while Scottie Scheffler tied the course record to take first place at the Texas Junior Open in Houston.
McIlroy was off the cut before three straight birdies on the 16th hole moved him to four under par on a day marred by thunderstorms.
After a two-hour break in the round, McIlroy finished with a 66 after play in the second round was suspended due to darkness.
That was seven strokes behind the pace set by world number one Scheffler, who posted an eight-under-par 62, one stroke ahead of Canada's Taylor Pendrith and Colombia's Nico Echavarria.
“I hit a few putts,” McIlroy said. “That's it. It was nice to see a couple putts go in and get it over with.
“It was a bit of a risk at the end. It's nice to finish the round the way I did.”
World number one Scheffler has produced a remarkable performance since recovering from a hand injury sustained while cooking on Christmas Day and is preparing to defend his US Masters title.
Playing before bad weather hit Memorial Park, Scheffler opened with two birdies and missed just one green in regulation, adding six more birdies to complete 36 holes without a bogey.
“It was important for me to stay patient out there,” Scheffler added. “It was nice to get a good start and keep the momentum going by maintaining a clean card.”
Echavarria was nine strokes under par in his round when play ended on the 17th hole and he had to chip from the edge of the green to save his par after falling into the water.
Australia's Min Woo Lee and Ryan Gerard are nine strokes behind and will need to work hard to advance to the second round.
England's Danny Willett and Matt Wallace were among those left waiting until the third round concluded on Saturday to find out whether they would play at the weekend.
They were in the clubhouse two strokes under par, one shot outside the current cut line.
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