JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Matt Kuchar had to make birdies just to keep pace with all the low scoring around him at Liberty National. Only when his short day at The Barclays ended was he able to sit back and enjoy the view.

And what a view it was.

One moment, it was so dark on the par-5 13th hole that Kuchar could barely see his second shot clear the water and land on the green, setting up a two-putt birdie that put him atop the leaderboard Friday evening. He thought there was no way to continue. He waited for the horn to sound that would stop play.

But as he walked beyond a row of trees to the par-3 14th, the sky brightened.

Attribute that to the electricity emanating from lower Manhattan across the Hudson River.

“Coming out over the water, it brightened up by a good margin. It’s actually a beautiful skyline,” Kuchar said. “I think when the sun sets coming off, it was a nice little place to be this time of night.”

Even better was his position atop the leaderboard at 10-under par, though work remains.

Kuchar was among those who had to return Saturday morning to complete the second round in the rain-delayed tournament. He had five holes remaining to keep the one-shot lead over Webb Simpson and Gary Woodland, who both finished the second round. Only 18 players who teed off in the afternoon managed to finish.

Simpson had to play 29 holes — 11 holes to finish his first round in the morning, followed by his second round — and he was ready to go more. He ran off six birdies over an eight-hole stretch and had a 5-under 66.

“It’s much nicer when you’re playing well to keep playing. And when you’re playing well, you feel like you could play 40 holes in a day,” Simpson said. “My main goal ... I just wanted to get done today. It just felt nice to putt out on 9, knowing that I’ve got tonight to sleep and catch up on rest.”

Woodland was one of the last players to finish at twilight Friday, and he finished strong. Woodland, back on track after a win at the Reno-Tahoe Open three weeks ago, birdied four of his last five holes for a 64 to join Simpson in the clubhouse at 9-under 133.

“I feel ecstatic right now to be done,” Woodland said. “It was a close call coming down the stretch if we would be able to finish. Luckily, I played great today, gave myself a lot of opportunities, and I drove the ball phenomenally and rolled some putts in, especially late.”