Max Homa and Keith Mitchell fired 7-under-par 64s to share the first-round lead on the Genesis Invitational on Thursday in Los Angeles, whereas Tiger Woods returned to competitors and made three straight birdies to submit a 2-under 69.
9 gamers didn’t full their rounds earlier than play was suspended because of darkness. They may end up Friday morning whereas the second spherical begins as scheduled.
Spanish star Jon Rahm is true behind the co-leaders following a spherical of 6-under 65. Collin Morikawa made two late birdies to hitch Matt Kuchar and Harris English in a tie for fourth at 5-under 66.
Homa, a local of close by Burbank who gained the match in 2021, began his spherical on the again 9 at Riviera Nation Membership and went 5-under 30 on the entrance, together with three brief birdie putts on the par-4 seventh, eighth and ninth.
“It simply felt like each facet of my sport felt good, adequate to shoot below par,” Homa mentioned. “You by no means know when you are going to shoot 7 below or one thing, however I felt like I took benefit of how I felt, which is one thing I believe that is essential out right here.”
Homa already has two victories this season, each coming in his native California on the Fortinet Championship and final month’s Farmers Insurance coverage Open.
Mitchell, in the meantime, has only one PGA Tour win to his title, the 2019 Honda Basic. Like Homa, Mitchell put eight birdies and one bogey on his card, ending birdie-birdie at Nos. 17-18.
“My brief sport’s positively improved so much over the previous yr,” Mitchell mentioned. “To match it up with my driving and ball-striking is one thing I have been engaged on for my complete life actually and I really feel like lately it began to click on a bit of bit extra.”
Rahm has performed in addition to anyone in 2023, profitable back-to-back begins in January and inserting third ultimately week’s WM Phoenix Open. He rolled in eight birdies on Thursday to counteract two bogeys.
Morikawa, a two-time main champ and Los Angeles native, performed within the group simply behind Woods, Rory McIlroy of Northern Eire and Jordan Spieth. He made birdie putts of 19 and eight 1/2 ft at Nos. 17 and 18 to leap into the highest 5.
Most followers’ focus was educated on Woods, enjoying in his first aggressive occasion for the reason that Open Championship final July and his first official, non-major occasion since profitable the 2019 Zozo Championship. He badly injured his proper leg and foot in a single-car accident two years in the past, two days after internet hosting the 2021 Genesis.
The 15-time main winner was 1 over by means of 15 holes however completed with three birdies. His dialed-in tee shot on the par-3 sixteenth left him simply 5 ft for the primary birdie. He made his longest putt of the day on the par-5 seventeenth, a birdie attempt from 23 1/2 ft that was uphill and bent dramatically proper to left.
At No. 18, Thomas, Woods and McIlroy all sank birdie putts, with Thomas’ coming from the perimeter 28 ft out, Woods’ from about 7 1/2 ft and McIlroy’s from 6 ft.
“JT hoops one in there and Rory’s been beating us all day,” mentioned Woods, the match host, who performed with two of his closest associates on tour. “He is nervous as may be as a result of he did not need to be the one to overlook on 18. I did not need to be the fool host to overlook it proper in entrance of everyone after I simply went birdie-birdie.
“It was an amazing spherical. The ebb and movement of needling one another, encouraging one another and telling tales.”
McIlroy shot a bogey-free, 4-under 67 to hitch a tie for seventh with Tom Hoge, Lee Hodges, Doug Ghim, Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela and Canadians Adam Svensson and Adam Hadwin. Thomas is in a large tie at 3-under 68.
Woods, in the meantime, is in place to make it to the weekend however should battle soreness in his surgically repaired ankle in addition to adjusting to the sensation of a PGA Tour occasion.
“I used to be making an attempt to calm myself down all day, making an attempt to determine what the hell I am doing out right here as a result of I have not performed,” Woods mentioned. “I needed to try to work out what the chess match goes to be. Misses, angles, wind, these are all issues which have come second nature to loads of these guys. I have not actually executed this shortly.”
9 gamers didn’t full their rounds earlier than play was suspended because of darkness. They may end up Friday morning whereas the second spherical begins as scheduled.
Spanish star Jon Rahm is true behind the co-leaders following a spherical of 6-under 65. Collin Morikawa made two late birdies to hitch Matt Kuchar and Harris English in a tie for fourth at 5-under 66.
Homa, a local of close by Burbank who gained the match in 2021, began his spherical on the again 9 at Riviera Nation Membership and went 5-under 30 on the entrance, together with three brief birdie putts on the par-4 seventh, eighth and ninth.
“It simply felt like each facet of my sport felt good, adequate to shoot below par,” Homa mentioned. “You by no means know when you are going to shoot 7 below or one thing, however I felt like I took benefit of how I felt, which is one thing I believe that is essential out right here.”
Homa already has two victories this season, each coming in his native California on the Fortinet Championship and final month’s Farmers Insurance coverage Open.
Mitchell, in the meantime, has only one PGA Tour win to his title, the 2019 Honda Basic. Like Homa, Mitchell put eight birdies and one bogey on his card, ending birdie-birdie at Nos. 17-18.
“My brief sport’s positively improved so much over the previous yr,” Mitchell mentioned. “To match it up with my driving and ball-striking is one thing I have been engaged on for my complete life actually and I really feel like lately it began to click on a bit of bit extra.”
Rahm has performed in addition to anyone in 2023, profitable back-to-back begins in January and inserting third ultimately week’s WM Phoenix Open. He rolled in eight birdies on Thursday to counteract two bogeys.
Morikawa, a two-time main champ and Los Angeles native, performed within the group simply behind Woods, Rory McIlroy of Northern Eire and Jordan Spieth. He made birdie putts of 19 and eight 1/2 ft at Nos. 17 and 18 to leap into the highest 5.
Most followers’ focus was educated on Woods, enjoying in his first aggressive occasion for the reason that Open Championship final July and his first official, non-major occasion since profitable the 2019 Zozo Championship. He badly injured his proper leg and foot in a single-car accident two years in the past, two days after internet hosting the 2021 Genesis.
The 15-time main winner was 1 over by means of 15 holes however completed with three birdies. His dialed-in tee shot on the par-3 sixteenth left him simply 5 ft for the primary birdie. He made his longest putt of the day on the par-5 seventeenth, a birdie attempt from 23 1/2 ft that was uphill and bent dramatically proper to left.
At No. 18, Thomas, Woods and McIlroy all sank birdie putts, with Thomas’ coming from the perimeter 28 ft out, Woods’ from about 7 1/2 ft and McIlroy’s from 6 ft.
“JT hoops one in there and Rory’s been beating us all day,” mentioned Woods, the match host, who performed with two of his closest associates on tour. “He is nervous as may be as a result of he did not need to be the one to overlook on 18. I did not need to be the fool host to overlook it proper in entrance of everyone after I simply went birdie-birdie.
“It was an amazing spherical. The ebb and movement of needling one another, encouraging one another and telling tales.”
McIlroy shot a bogey-free, 4-under 67 to hitch a tie for seventh with Tom Hoge, Lee Hodges, Doug Ghim, Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela and Canadians Adam Svensson and Adam Hadwin. Thomas is in a large tie at 3-under 68.
Woods, in the meantime, is in place to make it to the weekend however should battle soreness in his surgically repaired ankle in addition to adjusting to the sensation of a PGA Tour occasion.
“I used to be making an attempt to calm myself down all day, making an attempt to determine what the hell I am doing out right here as a result of I have not performed,” Woods mentioned. “I needed to try to work out what the chess match goes to be. Misses, angles, wind, these are all issues which have come second nature to loads of these guys. I have not actually executed this shortly.”
