Rory McIlroy at WGC-Cadillac Match Play 2015: Score and Reaction from Saturday

Rory McIlroy played two entire matches at the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship Saturday and still left the fans wanting more.   

McIlroy advanced to the quarterfinals with an early round-of-16 victory over Hideki Matsuyama, but officials suspended his evening showdown with Paul Casey for darkness after three extra holes. The fact that it was freezing cold and McIlroy was wearing gloves between shots at the end probably helped the officials and golfers make the call.

McIlroy and Casey will resume their quarterfinals match at 9:45 a.m. ET Sunday, and the winner will face Jim Furyk in the semifinals.

Here is a look at the Saturday results for McIlroy:

Matchup	Result
Round of 16
Rory McIlroy vs. Hideki Matsuyama	McIlroy wins (6 & 5)
Quarterfinals
Rory McIlroy vs. Paul Casey	Suspended for darkness after 21 holes

McIlroy was tested just to reach Saturday and needed 20 holes to knock off Billy Horschel in the final match of group play Friday. 

That set up a single-elimination match with Matsuyama, who was 3-0 in group play and finished fifth in the Masters Tournament (right behind McIlroy). On paper, it seemed like the top-rated McIlroy would win easily, but Matsuyama also tied for second in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, tied for fourth at the Northern Trust Open and tied for third at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

Alas, McIlroy still made quick work of the challenger. 

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

He jumped out to a commanding lead in the first few holes and never looked back. Both players actually birdied the first, but McIlroy drilled a 25-foot putt on No. 2 to take the lead and then established a six-stroke advantage on the way to victory.

Kelly Tilghman and Justin Ray of the Golf Channel both commented on McIlroy's red-hot play:

Perhaps McIlroy's best moment came when he chipped in a bunker shot on No. 10 to pick up another stroke before eventually burying an approach shot within five feet on No. 12 to completely end any comeback hopes. 

The PGA Tour had the highlights from both shots:

McIlroy commented on his first win Saturday, per Sky Sports 4: "I think I just putted better to be honest. I felt that tee to green was very similar, hit a few more iron shots close today but I putted well and took advantage of the opportunities and didn’t really let Hideki in to it."

It set up a quarterfinals showdown with Casey, and things instantly became more difficult. 

Casey jumped out to an initial lead, as the PGA Tour pointed out after a beautiful approach in the early going:

From there, McIlroy drilled a long birdie putt, per the PGA Tour:

Both players settled into something of a groove down the stretch, and Casey held on to a narrow one-hole lead with two to play. McIlroy drew even with a birdie on No. 17 and then had the opportunity to win on No. 18.

Bob Harig of ESPN.com set the stage, and the PGA Tour shared the heartbreaking highlight for McIlroy fans:

Given the back-and-forth nature of what was arguably the best match of the entire tournament, it was only fitting that it went into extra holes. The problem was that neither golfer seized the chance to win in the first three playoff holes, and the sun had seen enough.

Officials suspended the match for darkness, which prompted this amusing quote from Casey, per the PGA Tour:

Attention now turns to that early Sunday start (6:45 a.m. local time in San Francisco) and any potential fatigue for McIlroy and Casey after a late Saturday finish. The winner must then play Furyk later Sunday, who is playing excellent golf after a victory at the RBC Heritage before the Match Play Championship.

It wouldn't be much of a surprise to see Furyk take advantage of the opportunity and knock McIlroy out of the tournament if McIlroy does eventually emerge with a victory over Casey.

It would be a disappointing blow for those hoping to see star power in the final, especially since eight of the top 10 players in the world didn't even make it out of round-robin group play.

The tournament started with hopes of a McIlroy and Jordan Spieth showdown in the championship match. It may end with Furyk holding the trophy if McIlroy doesn't find a way to fight through fatigue Sunday and win multiple matches.