On a day at Riviera Nation Membership that featured every little thing from a deluge of rain to a 3-hour climate delay to wind gusts hovering round 30 miles per hour, a person who has carried out nearly every little thing within the sport of golf rose to the highest of the leaderboard. Rory McIlroy was almost flawless within the first spherical of the 2026 Genesis Invitational, capturing his lowest-ever rating throughout the primary 18 holes at Riviera with a 5-under 66 to take a seat one stroke behind Aaron Rai.
Spherical 1 was suspended resulting from darkness with the likes of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth all needing to finish nearly all of their again nines on Friday when play resumes at 7 a.m. PT.
Scheffler will take the interruption in stride as he was 5 over by way of 10 holes, 11 strokes off the lead and tied for final place when play was known as. It is the third straight week by which one of the best participant within the sport has slipped out of the gate.
McIlroy, in the meantime, was among the many first gamers on the golf course; as such, he was capable of end his first spherical. He now appears to be like to do what neither event host Tiger Woods nor legend Jack Nicklaus achieved of their careers: win on the historic venue that’s Riviera. On the road just isn’t solely the trophy and a signature occasion purse however the five-time main champion reaching the 30-win mark on the PGA Tour.
“I’ve undoubtedly bought extra comfy taking part in in situations like this over the previous few years as I’ve gotten extra comfy in controlling my ball flight, and controlling my ball flight taking much more membership, hitting the ball low,” McIlroy stated. “I’ve began to only actually take pleasure in this fashion of golf.
“In the event you had requested me 10 years in the past, I did not take pleasure in these situations, nevertheless it’s been a shift in a mindset and possibly only a continuation of making an attempt to construct upon the talent set that I’ve. Then, when it does get to situations like this, I am much more ready. I would not say I take pleasure in them, however I can actually deal with them higher.”
If McIlroy performs the subsequent 54 holes in the identical method as his first 18, he’ll win this event. Battling and overcoming the situations, he performed golf in its truest essence — flighting drives relying on the wind course, leaving himself with straightforward leaves and taking good care of the scoring holes.
Attacking the early parts of each nines, McIlroy began his spherical emphatically, making birdie on three of his first 4 holes to propel himself to the highest of the leaderboard. His birdie on the newly lengthened par-3 4th got here proper out of the rain delay as his first stroke produced a 30-foot birdie.
As soon as the rain subsided, wind entered the equation, and McIlroy answered masterfully. Displaying off each device in his belt, the 36-year-old headlined his grouping that featured one other spherical within the 60s from Tommy Fleetwood — the Englishman has damaged 70 in 20 straight PGA Tour rounds — and a nifty 68 from final week’s winner Collin Morikawa.
“Simply making an attempt to maintain the identical mindset basically,” Morikawa stated. “You do not wish to get too relaxed, however you additionally wish to form of discover that zone to exit and play golf. An extended day, a number of forwards and backwards form of rain, no rain, a number of wind, no wind. Simply was capable of get the ball within the gap, which was form of the entire purpose.”
Chief
1. Aaron Rai (-6): Generally known as a Level A to Level B sort of participant, Rai stored every little thing in entrance of him on Thursday, and he was rewarded with a stellar efficiency on the greens. The Englishman opened with an eagle, tacked on six extra birdies and made putts from almost 80 toes on No. 9, 7 toes on No. 11, 21 toes on No. 13, 12 toes on No. 15 and at last 7 toes on No. 16. He can have an opportunity to increase his lead Friday morning as he begins his day on the par-5 seventeenth.
Contenders
T2. Rory McIlroy, Jacob Bridgeman (-5)
4. Ryan Fox (-4)
T5. Pierceson Coody, Akshay Bhatia, Collin Morikawa, Aldrich Potgieter, Max Greyserman, Si Woo Kim, Marco Penge (-3)
T12. Jhonattan Vegas, Taylor Pendrith, Maverick McNealy, Viktor Hovland, Hideki Matsuyama, Tommy Fleetwood, Ryo Hisatsune, Harry Corridor (-2)
Solely two weeks into his PGA Tour season, and Hovland is already looking for solutions along with his driver. He might have discovered them on Thursday. Lacking solely two fairways, the Norwegian appeared noticeably extra comfy with the massive stick in hand and was sensational from tee to inexperienced. He might want to clear up his play on and across the inexperienced as all three bogeys have been courtesy of some sloppy play in that space, but when his full swing is so as, he ought to love his placement.
“You may need seen the band drill that I used to be messing round with now. It is nonetheless making an attempt to serve the identical goal, however I really feel like that truly made it simpler for me to search out one thing tangible that I might take out on the golf course,” Hovland stated. “Attempting to only get a bit of bit wider within the downswing, not making an attempt to tug my arms as near me. That is what the floaties have been for, making an attempt to get some house within the downswing. It was simply arduous to really feel that once I took the floaties away.
“However the band, as a result of it forces your physique to push towards the strain, after which whenever you take it away, it is like, ‘Wow, that is what it is presupposed to really feel like.’ We’re not fairly all there but, despite the fact that this can be a nice spherical of golf, however that was an enormous step in the appropriate course.”
Scheffler’s Thursday struggles proceed
It was an inauspicious begin from the world No. 1 on the primary gap as Scheffler discovered the floor on the simple par 5 solely to wish three putts and stroll off the inexperienced with a par. That finally informed the story of his day as Scheffler by no means made it straightforward on himself.
With two bogeys in his first six holes, he began to move even additional south on the leaderboard when he made a head-scratching double bogey on No. 8, which featured one other three-putt. He turned in 4 over, made an unsightly bogey on the devilish, brief par-4 tenth and made par on one other scoring likelihood on the par-5 eleventh to place a bow on his day.
Just like the final three weeks, Scheffler faces a protracted climb again, and in contrast to final week, he shall be staring the cutline straight within the face as the highest 50 gamers and ties (in addition to these inside 10 strokes of the chief) will safe tee instances over the weekend.
2026 Genesis Invitational up to date odds, picks
Odds by way of DraftKings Sportsbook
- Rory McIlroy: +350
- Aaron Rai: 10-1
- Si Woo Kim: 13-1
- Jacob Bridgeman: 15-1
- Collin Morikawa: 15-1
- Tommy Fleetwood: 18-1
- Hideki Matsuyama: 19-1
Scheffler is at 26-1, if that tickles your fancy, however as a substitute, we are going to have a look at another person on the golf course with holes remaining in his first spherical: Matt Fitzpatrick at 36-1. The Englishman is 1 below, by way of 15 holes and can have a few scoring probabilities coming in Friday morning. He made nothing on the greens Thursday, so if his fortunes change, he’ll make up some floor.
