Saturday 16 February 2019 07:10, UK
Justin Thomas upstaged playing-partners Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as he ended a marathon second day of the Genesis Open in a share of the lead.
Thomas shone in the dark, cold and wet conditions of the rain-ravaged final event of the West Coast Swing as he fired an opening 66 and then made seven birdies in the 12 holes he completed in his second round before play was suspended due to darkness.
The world No 4 ended the day on 10 under par alongside Adam Scott, who has seven holes of his second round to finish when play resumes at 7am (3pm GMT) on Saturday, while first-round leader JB Holmes is halfway through his second round having earlier carded a 63 which featured a superb hole-in-one at the short sixth.
McIlroy was again beset by putting difficulties in a 72 before he hauled himself back into contention with four birdies in round two, and Woods is two further back having dropped four shots in six holes before the klaxons sounded, although he did hole a 45-foot putt for eagle at the first - his 10th.
Overnight leader Jordan Spieth continued his positive play from day one, which was curtailed by a seven-hour rain delay, and he birdied the sixth and ninth to complete a bogey-free 64 before returning to his hotel safe in the knowledge that he would not get the chance to start his second round.
But he was denied the first-round lead by some spectacular play from Holmes, who cruised to six under after 11 holes before responding to his first blemish at the fifth with a perfect blow at the 147-yard sixth, where his eight-iron pitched 15 feet beyond the pin and spun back into the cup.
Holmes also birdied the next and parred in to sign for a 63 which equalled the lowest opening round in the tournament's long history, but it was Thomas and Scott who stole the spotlight when the second round eventually got underway in fading light and further showers.
Thomas reeled off four consecutive birdies before tugging his second shot to the 18th some 20 yards left of the green, from where he was unable to salvage a par, but he got back on track with birdies at the first and second and had just parred the third when play was halted.
Scott, who won the event 14 years ago when it was reduced to 36 holes by persistent rain, plotted his way meticulously around the iconic layout and kept a bogey off his card in his opening 66 before he birdied four of his first seven holes in his second round.
The 38-year-old, chasing his first win for almost three years, dropped his first shot when he three-putted from long range at the 17th, but he matched the birdies of Thomas on the first and second to ensure he would return to the course in a share of the lead on day three.
Holmes mixed two birdies with one bogey on the front nine of his second round to close on nine under, while Luke List stormed to seven under with three to play as he carded six birdies and a chip-in for eagle at the 17th, although two dropped shots left him three off the lead.
Jon Rahm is five under with seven to play while Bryson DeChambeau is one further adrift having entertained the hardy fans with three hole-outs from off the green over the day - two of them at the 13th and another for eagle at 17.
McIlroy eased to two under after eight holes before an ugly three-putt bogey from 15 feet at the ninth took the wind out of his sails, and the four-time major champion missed a series of birdie chances on the back nine while dropping further shots at 12 and 13.
But he regrouped in his short break between rounds and birdied three of his first four holes, and McIlroy added another at the long first to reach three under par for the tournament.
Woods had earlier recovered from an erratic start with four consecutive birdies around the turn as he battled his way to a first-round 70, and he then birdied the 10th and 12th before the conditions and the strains of playing almost continuous golf throughout the day took their toll on the 43-year-old.
The tournament host slipped back to one under with bogeys at 16 and 18 before his lengthy eagle-putt on the first dropped for eagle, but blocked drives into the punishing rough cost him shots on each of the next two holes as he trudged wearily back to the clubhouse with an eight-shot deficit to make up on Thomas.
