Rory McIlroy is one shot behind co-leaders Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgman midway through the Genesis Invitational as he looks to win his first title of the season.
McIlroy began his campaign with a tie for 14th at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after finishing in a best-of-three tie for third place at the Dubai Invitational through three DP World Tour events.
The world No. 2 enjoyed an unblemished second round Friday at Riviera Country Club, posting a 6-under 65, including four birdies and an eagle on the 11th.
“There’s no Pacific Ocean around this golf course to hit into, so that helps. I’m still hitting some loose shots, but the course setup is a little more conducive to hitting them,” McIlroy said.
“But I hit it well, controlled my distance well most of the time, and holed some nice putts from within 8 feet when I needed to for par.”
Rory McIlroy shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 with four birdies and an eagle at the Genesis Invitational on Friday.
McIlroy is 11 under heading into the event, with England’s Penge and American Bridgman on 12 under after a 7 under second round in California.
Blemish free penge leads Scheffler
Penge, whose wife is due to give birth to their second child next week, made five birdies in the final seven holes after improving on the first and sixth holes, while Bridgeman had a combination of seven birdies, one eagle and two bogeys.
England’s Marco Penge shares lead in California
Penge’s fellow Brits Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fretwood are tied for eighth on seven under par, while compatriot Aaron Rye is one stroke back in a tie for 12th.
Xander Schauffele and Adam Scott were in good position for a tie for fourth place at 9 under, with Scott shooting an 8-under 63 for the day’s round and might have been even better had he not had a bogey at the end, while Scottie Schaeffler fought his way to the lead with a final par.
Scheffler launched an incredible push in the final round at Pebble Beach last week, finishing tied for fourth place, two strokes behind eventual champion Collin Morikawa, but extended the tournament with a knee knocker from 7 feet in the last minute.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was in danger of missing the cut before recovering on the back nine.
The No. 1 player in the world was 4-over for the tournament with nine holes left, but he made four birdies to get back even. He did what an 18-year-old was supposed to do and extended his cutting streak to 68 tournaments, making him the longest active cut on the PGA Tour.
Scheffler shot 3 under for the day, leaving a 12-stroke difference between Penge and Bridgeman.
Watch Round 3 of the Genesis Invitational live on Sky Sports Golf from 3.15pm on Saturday, with coverage also on Sky Sports Main Event from 8.30pm. Stream Golf does not require a contract.
Book your round at the lowest price on one of 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland
