LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scottie Scheffler gave a light fist pump when his final putt barely curled in on the 18th hole at Riviera, typical of his subdued reaction when he wins most tournaments. The difference Friday is the putt allowed him to make the cut on the number at the Genesis Invitational.
A slow start for the third straight week meant Scheffler had to hole a 7-foot par putt on a green that had that scary combination of being spongy and speedy. It gave him a 3-under 68 to finish two rounds at Riviera in even-par 142.
The Genesis Invitational is one of three $20 million signature events to have a 36-hole cut for the top 50 and ties and any player within 10 shots of the lead. The 10-shot rule went out the window when Marco Penge birdied five of his last seven holes for a 64 to post at 12-under 130.
“It was nice to be able to hole a putt and get another two cracks at the course,” Scheffler said. “I started the day not where I wanted to, but yeah, battled and it looks like I get another couple rounds to see what I can do.”
“Battled” is a word Scheffler has been using more then he wants lately.
He opened with a 2-over 73 in the Phoenix Open to put himself outside the cut line, only to respond with a 65 and finish the week one shot out of a playoff. He shot 72 at Pebble Beach to start last week and was 13 shots behind at one point Friday before a 67-63 weekend that had him tied for the lead at one point.
This week is different, mainly because Scheffler doesn't have a great history at Riviera.
“I don't know,” he said. “This place and I have a weird relationship. I feel like I can play so well out here and I just haven't yet.”
In five previous appearances at Riviera, Scheffler's best week left him seven shots out of the lead. The other four times he finished nine shots behind. So as he enjoys an 18-tournament streak of top 10s on the PGA Tour, this wasn't the course to fall behind.
Alas, he had two make two birdies Friday morning to complete the rain-delayed first round for a 74, matching his high score at Riviera. It was the first time since his rookie season in 2020 that Scheffler had three straight tournaments in which he failed to break par in the opening round.
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“I would not say anything in particular,” he said when asked what caused the sudden rash of falling so far behind. “I think in both of the last two, teeing off late is never the easiest and I've gotten off to slow starts. Teeing off yesterday when we did was pretty challenging around this golf course.”
Indeed it was. Rain in the morning that led to a three-hour delay gave way to a cold, strong wind in the afternoon on greens that were soft enough to plug and fast enough to be cautious.
“You don't want to have another 3, 3 1/2 feet coming back,” Scheffler said. “And yesterday was definitely a day none of mine were going in. It was nice to get out this morning on some fresh greens and hole some putts and do what I needed to do in order to get to the weekend."
It wasn't just on the greens, however.
Scheffler has missed half of the fairways each of the last two rounds. He missed the second green Thursday with a shot from the left rough halfway up the hill on the right. From the right rough Friday, he missed his approach so far left he wound up near the 10th tee.
But he did enough right to extend his cuts streak to 68 tournaments dating to the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022, the longest active streak on tour.
Scheffler was 4 over for the tournament with 10 holes to play when he stuffed his approach on No. 9 to 3 feet for birdie. He hit a perfect pitch to 3 feet on the 10th for birdie. He chipped to short range for birdie on the par-5 11th. And he picked up a final birdie on the par-5 17th from a greenside bunker. And there were no bogeys, equally key.
“I pretty much knew I had to get to at least even par with the way the conditions were,” Scheffler said. “And so yeah, just trying to do what I could do.”
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