Rai, Bhatia, Theegala make cut as Penge leads Genesis
The trio of Indian-origin golfers Aaron Rai, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala made the halfway cut at the Genesis Invitational, the second Signature event of the season on the PGA Tour. Rai, whose first round 66 put him in the Top 10, shot a second-round 70 and was Tied-12th, while Bhatia (68-71) was T-21 and Theegala, who is playing this week on a Charlie Sifford exemption from tournament host Tiger Woods, with 70-71 was Tied-33rd. Rai had five birdies against four bogeys, while Bhatia had three birdies and three bogeys, and Theegala had three birdies against two bogeys.
Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman had superb finishes at The Riviera Country Club, each with a 7-under 64 that left them tied for the lead with Rory McIlroy right on their heels. For Scottie Scheffler, there was a grind before he made a 7-foot par to make the cut. Penge, the leading player from the DP World Tour to secure a PGA TOUR card for this year, pulled away with five birdies over his final seven holes and was the first to post at 12-under 130.
More remarkable than his score was keeping his mind on golf — his wife is moving into their new home in Florida and expecting their second child next week. Bridgeman birdied his last three holes, finishing with a 5-iron into a cool breeze to 8 feet to join Penge. McIlroy, who opened with a 66-65, has only one bogey on his card through 36 holes.
Scheffler, who had to rally Friday morning for a 74 to complete the rain-delayed first round, was well aware of where he stood. At 4-over par for the tournament with 10 holes to play, he needed to get to even par. He did that with a 68 to just make the cut. It was the third straight week he failed to break par in the opening round.
