Rory McIlroy handles the rain and
then wind to share clubhouse lead at Riviera
[February 20, 2026]
By DOUG FERGUSON
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rory McIlroy would have preferred playing in the
rain compared with the wind that followed Thursday at Riviera. He
handled both well enough for a 5-under 66 to share the clubhouse
lead with Jacob Bridgeman in the Genesis Invitational.
Scottie Scheffler couldn't get off the course fast enough. He was
tied for last in the 72-man field, without a birdie through 10 holes
when play was suspended by darkness.
The rain that formed puddles on the already soft greens led to a
three-hour stoppage. Players returned to far more difficult
conditions with a wind that was strong and cold, and putting
surfaces with a rare combination of being super soft and super
quick.
McIlroy opened with three birdies in four holes. He saved par on the
par-3 sixth by chipping over the bunker in the middle of the green.
He dropped only one shot to join Bridgeman, who contended last week
at Pebble Beach and played his best in the strongest conditions.
“I've started to just really enjoy this style of golf,” said McIlroy,
who grew up in Northern Ireland but spoke early in his career of his
fondness for warmth and sunshine.
“If you had asked me 10 years ago, I didn’t enjoy these conditions,
but it’s been a shift in a mindset and maybe just a continuation of
trying to build upon the skill set that I have,” he said. “Then when
it does get to conditions like this, I’m a lot more prepared. I
wouldn’t say I enjoy them, but I can certainly handle them better.”
Aaron Rai was at 6 under with two holes remaining when it was too
dark to continue. The round was to resume Friday morning, and the
forecast was dry for the rest of the week.
Ryan Fox had a 67, and Pebble Beach winner Collin Morikawa was in
the group at 68.
But it was an odd combination of conditions, particularly the
greens. Most amazing was Adam Scott's tee shot on the par-3 sixth
that landed inches from the cup and plugged into the turf.
McIlroy was poised to make one last birdie when he ripped a 9-iron
downwind from 181 yards near the pin, only to see it spin back off
the front of the green. Another shot rarely seen came on the short
10th when he was well left of the green in the rough, 60 yards away,
to a pin all the way to the right. He flew it all the way to pin and
it stopped inches from where it landed.
“I honestly don’t know how they got it to this. Like, I’ve never
seen greens like this,” said Morikawa, who grew up 30 miles away.
“You could stop any club from anyplace — from the rough, flyer lies.
I think I had two or three shots today, flyers out of the first cut
and rough and I’m not worried about missing the green at all.”
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Rory McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, hits from the ninth tee during
the first round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at
Riviera Country Club, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in the Pacific
Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman )
The biggest surprise was Scheffler, who was headed
toward a third straight tournament where he failed to break par in
the opening round. He hasn't done that since his rookie season in
2020, and this was more frustrating based on how hard he slammed a
bathroom door on No. 9.
He opened with a three-putt par from the 30 feet on the opening
hole. He missed greens and missed putts from the 6-foot range. On
the par-5 eighth, his tee shot found the barranca that divides the
fairways, flew 30 yards beyond the pin, chipped to the fringe and
three-putted from 20 feet.
He was 5 over for his round and had an 8-foot birdie putt — after
missing the fairway to the left and his approach well to the right —
on the par-5 11th hole.
Bridgeman, who reached the Tour Championship and is in the signature
events for the first time, made his debut at Riviera with 15-foot
eagle putt on the par-5 opening hole only to chop up the par-3
fourth, where the tee was played forward to make it only 220 (the
scorecard yardage is 273). He was short on the apron, left his chip
short and chipped the next one 35 feet by the hole.
But he was at his best when play resumed and the wind peaked,
picking up five birdies in a 10-hole stretch and missing only one
green after the delay.
“I think one of my strengths is flighting shots down, hitting shots
where people don’t really know how far it’s playing, what the number
actually is and just kind of feeling it out,” Bridgeman said. “I
think today, especially in the wind, it played into my favor. I got
to hit some of those shots that I saw some people hitting high
ballooning shots that were getting smoked by the wind.”
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