The 100th playing of the Genesis Invitational got off to a chaotic start Thursday at Riviera Country Club, where Mother Nature reminded everyone that Pacific Palisades in February can be downright nasty. Wind gusts reached 34 mph, rain came and went, and darkness eventually forced officials to suspend play with 30 players still on the course.
When the horn finally sounded at 5:41 p.m., England’s Aaron Rai sat atop the leaderboard at 6-under par through 16 holes. He’ll return Friday morning at 7 a.m. to complete his round before the second round begins at 7:40 a.m.
McIlroy Embraces the Challenge
Rory McIlroy posted a 5-under 66, his lowest opening round at Riviera, and he did it by leaning into conditions that would have frustrated him a decade ago.
“If you had asked me 10 years ago, I didn’t enjoy these conditions,” McIlroy said after his round. “But it’s been a shift in mindset and maybe just a continuation of trying to build upon the skill set that I have.”
The world No. 2 has spent recent years developing what he calls a “three-quarter” shot with various irons, dialing in specific yardages on TrackMan for windy days exactly like Thursday. His three-quarter 7-iron goes 175 yards. His three-quarter 8-iron travels 162. In conditions where most players are guessing, McIlroy has numbers.
“To start to enjoy them and have the shots to succeed on days like this, that’s a really satisfying thing,” he said. “Nearly 20 years into a career and still feel like you’re getting better at some aspects of the game.”
McIlroy shares second place with Jacob Bridgeman, who made his Genesis Invitational debut with a 66 of his own.
Bridgeman Announces His Arrival
The Clemson product has been knocking on the door all season with a T4 at the Sony Open and a T8 at Pebble Beach. Thursday at Riviera, he kicked it down.
Bridgeman’s 66 marked the first time in 207 career rounds he’s opened a tournament with an eagle, which came on the par-5 first hole. For a player who advanced to the Tour Championship for the first time last season and finished T27 in the FedExCup standings, this felt like another step forward.
The 26-year-old now finds himself tied with a four-time major champion heading into Friday. Not bad for a tournament debut.
Bhatia Keeps Rolling
Akshay Bhatia posted a 3-under 68 and continues to build on what’s becoming a remarkable stretch of golf. After finishing second at Pebble Beach last week, he’s right back in contention.
“I feel like everything’s coming together,” Bhatia said. “This is what’s great about this game. I played not great the first couple weeks and here I am kind of starting to catch a little bit of a stride.”
His caddie Joe offered some perspective after the near-miss at Pebble: “Dude, we’ve lost to four people in two weeks out of, you know, call it 200-plus players.”
Bhatia spent the weather delay playing cards, eating and stretching. When play resumed after the 2-hour, 52-minute suspension, he picked up right where he left off.
Scheffler Struggles, Defending Champ Stumbles
Not everyone handled the conditions with McIlroy’s grace. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler stood at 5-over par through 10 holes when darkness arrived, while defending champion Ludvig Åberg posted a 1-over 72.
Collin Morikawa, fresh off his victory at Pebble Beach, shot 68. He noted these were the softest greens he’s ever seen at Riviera, which created an unusual challenge.
“They’re soft but they’re fast, I think that’s the hard thing,” McIlroy explained. “The ball just starts to get away from you a little bit, especially if it spins back.”
A Tournament With Meaning
This Genesis Invitational carries extra weight beyond the $20 million purse and 700 FedExCup points for the winner. The tournament returns to Pacific Palisades just over a year after devastating wildfires destroyed homes and businesses throughout the area.
“I know people that lost their homes and places of work and offices,” McIlroy said. “Hopefully this tournament raises a lot of money to try to help a lot of the people that were affected.”
The weather may have been miserable Thursday, but having golf back at Riviera means something to this community. And for the 30 players who still need to finish their opening rounds, Friday morning will bring another early wake-up call and hopefully calmer conditions.