SAN DIEGO — Davis Thompson capped a curler coaster of a again 9 at Torrey Pines with a birdie to take the lead Friday within the Genesis Invitational. Scottie Scheffler had an unusually wild time without work the tee and was proper on his heels.
It arrange for a compelling weekend on this $20 million signature occasion with two names leaping off the pages of the leaderboard: Scheffler, taking part in bogey-free regardless of hitting solely 5 fairways, and Rory McIlroy, displaying the shape that led him to victory at Pebble Seaside two weeks in the past.
Thompson made solely two pars on the again 9 and completed with a wedge to a foot for birdie and a 6-under 66, good for a one-shot lead over Scheffler.
“We’re midway via, nonetheless loads of golf left,” Thompson stated. “Yeah, simply attempting to remain in my very own lane.”
Scheffler, whose begin to the 12 months was delayed resulting from a hand damage, seems to be gaining consolation in his recreation even when it did not all the time look that method in much more agreeable climate alongside the Pacific bluffs.
He twice hit off the twelfth tee. The primary one was a 50-yard chip shot again to the eleventh inexperienced for a outstanding par save after his tee shot on the par 3 was to this point left that it twice bounced on the cart path earlier than settling shut sufficient to a water station that he obtained free reduction.
He had a shot proper of a bunker that was proper of the fourth fairway and needed to flex his proper leg to maintain from falling into the sand. He managed one other par there. On the seventh, after one other miss nicely to the left, he needed to kick his proper leg on the follow-through to muscle it out of tough. That discovered the inexperienced for a easy par.
He additionally holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 sixth and transformed three different birdies for a spherical of 67 that put him within the closing group.
“I like seeing that,” Scheffler stated about his means to attain on a day when his ball putting wasn’t fairly as much as normal. “I really feel like these quick little sensitive pictures are all the time those which are the final to return again after an extended layover. It is good to get these feels again.”
He then headed to the vary for a fast session together with his driver.
Thompson, who received for the primary time final 12 months on the John Deere Traditional, was at 8-under 136 and can play within the closing group Saturday with Scheffler.
Denny McCarthy birdied the final gap for a 70 and can be paired with McIlroy.
McIlroy surged up the leaderboard by going 5 beneath over his opening 10 holes till working into a number of points off the tee on holes the place it is laborious to get better. He rallied with a pair of birdies, however his remorse was taking part in the par 5s with just one birdie.
“I hit loads of actually good pictures. I performed nicely for probably the most half. I scrambled nicely,” stated McIlroy, whose 67 left him three pictures behind. “I simply did not benefit from the par 5s. … Look, I made up for it in different places, which was good. However I do know going into the weekend I will need to play the par 5s higher.”
The signature occasions hosted by a participant — Tiger Woods on the Genesis Invitational, although he isn’t taking part in this week — have a 36-hole minimize of the highest 50 and ties. Amongst these leaving early had been Sepp Straka, who received within the California desert and was main the FedEx Cup, and Jordan Spieth, who was coming off a tie for fourth within the Phoenix Open final week.
Additionally lacking the minimize was Max Homa, who has not made it to the weekend within the three occasions he has performed this 12 months with a 36-hole minimize.
Scheffler wasn’t the one participant who leaned laborious on his quick recreation. Thompson obtained up-and-down for par on the tenth gap. He chipped in for birdie on the subsequent two holes, regained the lead with a birdie on the par-5 thirteenth and bogeyed the subsequent two holes.
However his 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixteenth obtained him again on monitor, and he had the benefit of being within the first minimize on the 18th to assist take some spin off a wedge he hit to tap-in vary.
Amongst these chasing is Ludvig Åberg, who was wanting to get again to Torrey Pines. He shot 66 to get inside 4 pictures of the lead on a meaty course that he loves. Aberg obtained a nasty abdomen virus he tried to play via three weeks in the past, and it precipitated him to withdraw at Pebble Seaside after the opening spherical.
Aberg was at 140 with Patrick Rodgers, who had a 71.
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