Rory McIlroy had already discussed the ratings crisis facing the PGA Tour before teeing off at this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, so he was in no mood to expound on his comments after his opening-round 66 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course on Thursday.

“I’m concerned about myself,” McIlroy said when asked if the future of the Tour weighs on him.

Of course, the irony in that statement is that the state of McIlroy’s game and the immediate health of the PGA Tour are closely intertwined.

Golf is a sport with few needle-movers. Outside of Tiger Woods, McIlroy is the sport’s biggest name. When he plays in tournaments, people watch. When he contends, even more people watch.

McIlroy’s antidote to golf’s ratings fog was simple: high-level competition between the best players on iconic venues should equal eyeballs.

After a first month of the season with limited appearances from its stars, the PGA Tour needed McIlroy and others to deliver compelling golf this week along the California coast.

McIlroy has, so far, delivered with Saturday’s bogey-free 65 in wet, cold, and gusty conditions putting him just one shot off the pace set by 54-hole leader Sepp Straka.

The four-time major champion began the day six shots behind Straka. But as the winds whipped across iconic Pebble Beach, McIlroy elevated his game and rose up the leaderboard as others stumbled.

He birdied three of his first five holes before the weather arrived as he reached the sixth hole. From that point forward, McIlroy altered his game plan to give himself the best chance to go low and be in a position to win on Sunday.

“I said to Harry going up 6, I said, let’s just try to chip it around for the rest of the day,” McIlroy said after the round. “Taking a club more, two clubs more and just try to chip it in there, take spin off it, keep under the wind. I did that really well today. Depending on what the conditions are tomorrow, if I have to do it again, I feel pretty comfortable doing it.”

There was the 9 iron at no. 8 that he stuck to 8 feet before pouring in the birdie putt. Then came a string of six straight pars, including saucy par saves at 10 and 11.

The weather lightened up as McIlroy’s round reached its conclusion, and that’s when the Northern Irishman hit the gas.

He stuffed a wedge to two feet for birdie on 15 and drained a 26-foot putt for birdie on 16 before closing with a final birdie on the par-5 18th to get in the house at 15-under.