Friday 16 February 2018 22:10, UK
Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay earned the first-round lead at the Genesis Open as a number of star players struggled on a tough day for scoring at Riviera Country Club.
Finau and Cantlay were the only two players to finish on five under after handing in a pair of 66s as only 35 players in the 144-man field managed to break the par of 71, while 12 were still on the course when play was suspended due to darkness.
Tiger Woods produced a mixed-bag of a 72 while playing partner Rory McIlroy recovered from three bogeys in seven holes with an eagle to salvage a 71, but defending champion Dustin Johnson is in danger of missing the cut after opening with a 74.
Finau got off to a flying start with four birdies over his first five holes after teeing off at the 10th, and he added another at the first to claim the outright lead before dropping his only shot of the day at the fourth.
But the big-hitting American steadied himself with a good run of pars before holing a 15-foot putt at the ninth to earn a share of the clubhouse lead with Cantlay, who also mixed six birdies with a lone bogey in his 66.
The compatriots are one stroke clear of Tom Hoge, Dominic Bozzelli and Sam Saunders, while Scotland's Martin Laird is among a group of 11 players on three under par after he traded five birdies with two dropped shots.
Former champion Bubba Watson is also in a tie for sixth along with two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen, who enjoyed a sparkling run of four birdies in five holes around the turn before dropping his second shot of the day at 15.
Graeme McDowell's bid to end a run of three consecutive missed cuts started brightly as he returned a confident 69, a score later matched by veteran Ernie Els, while Justin Thomas is also on two under after outscoring Woods and McIlroy in the marquee group.
Phil Mickelson and European No 1 Tommy Fleetwood were among the other star names to break par, with McIlroy satisfied with his 71 despite missing a number of chances to get closer to the lead.
McIlroy, who missed the cut at Pebble Beach last week, had the vast galleries cheering early when he holed out from a bunker to make an unlikely birdie at the 10th - his first - but he bogeyed each of the next two holes and scrapped his way to a disappointing six at the 17th.
But he rolled in a superb putt from close to 30 feet to eagle the first and parred his final eight holes to remain on level par, with Woods one further back after he mixed five birdies with four bogeys and a double-bogey seven at the 11th, where his wayward drive lodged in the limbs of a tree and forced him back to the tee box.
Jordan Spieth, without a win since The Open last July, matched McIlroy's 71, while Tour Championship winner Xander Schauffele slumped from four under to level par when he bogeyed four of the last five holes.
Johnson, who is celebrating a full year as world No 1 this week, began with a routine birdie at the first, but he bogeyed the fourth and then ran up an ugly triple-bogey seven at the next as he required five blows just to find the putting surface.
Another shot went at the sixth to leave Johnson languishing on four over, but he responded with birdies at the seventh and 10th before another bogey at 16 ensured he would end the day eight shots off the lead and outside the top 100.
