Resilient Marco Penge earns share of lead at

It was a long day at the workplace for Marco Penge, but the extra time hours had been effectively price it for the 27-year-old from Lancashire, England, who shot a bogey-free 64 Friday and is tied for the lead with Jacob Bridgeman after two rounds of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.

Penge surged to the lead with birdies on 5 of the last seven holes, then watched as Bridgeman closed with three birdies to catch him at 12 under par.

“I was biding my time on the front nine — the targets are so small here — but I found my swing coming down the stretch and that allowed me to be more aggressive,” said Penge, who gained 3 times on the DP World Tour last 12 months to earn his first PGA Tour card. “It’s tough for a European to come over here and do the things Rory [McIlroy] and Tommy [Fleetwood] are doing but I managed the course well today.”

Penge was in the last group Thursday and was on the tenth gap when play was suspended because of darkness. He carded 4 birdies and two bogeys on the back 9 early Friday morning to be part of McIlroy, Bridgeman and countryman Aaron Rai at 5 under par. He had only 38 minutes between ending his first spherical and beginning the second, but confirmed no indicators of fatigue.

“Not really, I wasn’t any more tired than usual,” he said. “When you see you’re near the top your adrenaline gets you through it.”

Although he didn’t receives a commission time and a half for taking part in 27 holes instead of the traditional 18, a healthy examine will come his manner Sunday afternoon if Penge can maintain his place.

Likewise for Bridgeman, who rode his momentum from the day before to also card a 64, opening his spherical with an eagle and posting eight birdies to more than offset bogeys at No. 7 and No. 12.

“I putted really well, hit my driver great and I’m excited to be in the hunt for the second straight week,” Bridgeman said after coolly sinking an eight-foot birdie putt on the last gap. “Yesterday was a learning experience. The 18th was playing a lot longer than I thought today. It’s shocking how soft and how fast these greens are. This is the most pure layout I’ve ever seen.”

Jacob Bridgeman hits from the 18th fairway during the second spherical of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Friday.

(Caroline Brehman / Associated Press)

McIlroy, the world’s No. 2-ranked participant, looms one shot back after a six-under 65 and two-time winner Adam Scott rocketed into rivalry with two eagles and 5 birdies — an eight-under-par 63 marred only by his bogey at 18. Scott has gained twice at Riviera, in 2005 (a rain-shortened 36 holes) and 2020, and is tied for fourth with Xander Schauffele at 9 under.

Schauffele, ranked thirteenth in the world, also had a extended day. He was tied for twenty ninth at even par through 11 holes when play was suspended Thursday and performed the last seven holes of the first spherical in three-under par. The 2016-17 rookie of the 12 months notched the last of his 10 Tour victories at the Baycurrent Classic last October.

“I’m tired, man… I’m looking forward to laying down sometime soon,” said the 32-year-old who lives in Jupiter, Fla., but was born in San Diego and performed his faculty golf at Long Beach State and San Diego State.

Asked about event host Tiger Woods’ suggestion to reschedule the event to {the summertime}, Schauffele said: “Wherever it is and whatever the conditions are — dry, damp, moist — I just enjoying playing here.”

Rai led by one stroke when play was suspended Thursday but bogeyed 18 early Friday to drop into a tie and shot a second-round 70, leaving him tied for twelfth with South African Aldrich Potgeiter, Ryan Fox and 2021 Genesis champion Max Homa at the midway level.

“My ball striking was better than yesterday and I got more looks at birdie,” Potgeiter said after capturing 68 for a second straight day. “The course is looking great… with the amount of rain we’ve had they did a good job.”

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was tied with Keegan Bradley for last place at five-over when he walked off the course Thursday night and shot two under over his last eight holes early Friday morning to start the second spherical tied for sixty fifth at three over. He had three birdies and six pars on the back 9 for a 68 in the second spherical to get to even par and was among 51 in the 72-player area to make the cut.

“It’s nice to be able to get another two cracks at the course,” a relieved Scheffler said after having to drain a four-foot birdie putt at the seventeenth to lengthen his consecutive cuts streak to 68 — the longest energetic streak on Tour. “This place and I have a weird relationship. I feel like I can play well here, I just haven’t yet. I was very aware I had to get to at least even par to keep going. I had to battle because the closing stretch is tough here.”

Scheffler has not missed a cut since the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022.

The circumstances had been ultimate and scores mirrored that on the second day of the one hundredth version of a event that is still up for grabs, with 22 gamers within 9 pictures of the lead. One of them is Max Greyserman, who is tied for sixth with Australian Min Woo Lee at eight under.

“Starting off with an eagle is always nice,” said Greyserman, a 30-year-old who lives in Palm Beach and is searching for his first professional win. “I hit a lot of nice drives. If you miss the fairways around here things get tricky. The kikuyu grass is interesting. I didn’t grow up on it. I played Genesis last year at Torrey [Pines] and I’ve played here four times before this week. It’s a good test, a fair test, a fun test.”