LOS ANGELES — Scottie Scheffler gave a light-weight fist pump when his ultimate putt barely curled in on the 18th gap at Riviera, typical of his subdued response when he wins most tournaments. The distinction Friday is the putt allowed him to make the reduce on the quantity on the Genesis Invitational.
A sluggish begin for the third straight week meant Scheffler needed to gap a 7-foot par putt on a inexperienced that had a scary mixture of being spongy and speedy. It gave him a 3-under 68 to complete two rounds at Riviera in even-par 142.
The Genesis Invitational is one in every of three $20 million signature occasions to have a 36-hole reduce for the highest 50 and ties and any participant inside 10 pictures of the lead. The ten-shot rule went out the window when Marco Penge birdied 5 of his final seven holes for a 64 to publish at 12-under 130.
“It was good to have the ability to gap a putt and get one other two cracks on the course,” Scheffler stated. “I began the day not the place I needed to, however yeah, battled and it appears to be like like I get one other couple rounds to see what I can do.”
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“Battled” is a phrase Scheffler has been utilizing extra then he desires these days.
He opened with a 2-over 73 within the Phoenix Open to place himself exterior the reduce line, solely to reply with a 65 and end the week one shot out of a playoff. He shot 72 at Pebble Seaside to start out final week and was 13 pictures behind at one level Friday earlier than a 67-63 weekend that had him tied for the lead at one level.
This week is completely different, primarily as a result of Scheffler does not have nice historical past at Riviera.
“I do not know,” he stated. “This place and I’ve a bizarre relationship. I really feel like I can play so effectively out right here, and I simply have not but.”
In 5 earlier appearances at Riviera, Scheffler’s finest week left him seven pictures out of the lead. The opposite 4 instances he completed 9 pictures behind. In order he enjoys an 18-tournament streak of prime 10s on the PGA Tour, this wasn’t the course to fall behind.
Alas, he had two make two birdies Friday morning to finish the rain-delayed first spherical for a 74, matching his excessive rating at Riviera. It was the primary time since his rookie season in 2020 that Scheffler had three straight tournaments wherein he failed to interrupt par within the opening spherical.
“I’d not say something specifically,” he stated when requested what brought about the sudden rash of falling thus far behind. “I feel in each of the final two, teeing off late is rarely the simplest and I’ve gotten off to sluggish begins. Teeing off yesterday once we did was fairly difficult round this golf course.”
Certainly, it was. Rain within the morning that led to a three-hour delay gave approach to a chilly, sturdy wind within the afternoon on greens that had been delicate sufficient to plug and quick sufficient to be cautious.
“You do not need to have one other 3, 3½ toes coming again,” Scheffler stated. “And yesterday was undoubtedly a day none of mine had been stepping into. It was good to get out this morning on some recent greens and gap some putts and do what I wanted to do with a view to get to the weekend.”
It wasn’t simply on the greens, nonetheless.
Scheffler has missed half of the fairways every of the previous two rounds. He missed the second inexperienced Thursday with a shot from the left tough midway up the hill on the suitable. From the suitable tough Friday, he missed his method thus far left he wound up close to the tenth tee.
However he did sufficient proper to increase his cuts streak to 68 tournaments relationship to the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022, the longest lively streak on tour.
Scheffler was 4 over for the match with 10 holes to play when he stuffed his method on No. 9 to three toes for birdie. He hit an ideal pitch to three toes on the tenth for birdie. He chipped to brief vary for birdie on the par-5 eleventh. And he picked up a ultimate birdie on the par-5 seventeenth from a greenside bunker. And there have been no bogeys, equally key.
“I just about knew I needed to get to at the very least even par with the way in which the circumstances had been,” Scheffler stated. “And so yeah, simply attempting to do what I might do.”
