Rory McIlroy navigates adverse weather conditions to tie for the lead at Genesis.

LOS ANGELES — Rory McIlroy would have favored playing in the rain over the wind that followed Thursday at Riviera. He managed both conditions sufficiently, finishing with a 5-under 66 to share the clubhouse lead with Jacob Bridgeman in the Genesis Invitational.

Scottie Scheffler was eager to exit the course. He found himself tied for last in the 72-man field, without a birdie through 10 holes when play was halted due to darkness.

The rain created puddles on the already soft greens, resulting in a three-hour delay. Players returned to significantly tougher conditions with a strong, cold wind, and putting surfaces that were uniquely both extremely soft and very quick.

McIlroy began with three birdies in his first four holes. He saved par on the par-3 sixth by chipping over the bunker situated in the middle of the green. He only dropped one shot to join Bridgeman, who performed well last week at Pebble Beach and excelled in the most challenging conditions.

“I’ve started to really enjoy this style of golf,” stated McIlroy, who was raised in Northern Ireland but had previously expressed a preference for warmer weather early in his career.

“If you had asked me a decade ago, I wouldn’t have enjoyed these conditions, but there’s been a shift in my mindset and perhaps a continuation of enhancing my skill set,” he explained. “Now, when faced with conditions like this, I’m much better prepared. I wouldn’t say I enjoy them, but I can certainly manage them more effectively.”

Aaron Rai was at 6 under with two holes left when it became too dark to continue. The round is set to resume Friday morning, with a dry forecast for the remainder of the week.

Ryan Fox recorded a 67, while Pebble Beach champion Collin Morikawa finished with a score of 68.

However, the conditions were unusual, particularly regarding the greens. Notably, Adam Scott’s tee shot on the par-3 sixth landed just inches from the hole and plugged into the turf.

McIlroy was in position to make one final birdie when he struck a 9-iron downwind from 181 yards near the pin, only to see it spin back off the front of the green. Another remarkable shot occurred on the short 10th when he was well left of the green in the rough, 60 yards away, with the pin positioned far to the right. He flew it directly to the pin, stopping just inches from where it landed.

“I honestly don’t know how they got it to this. Like, I’ve never seen greens like this,” remarked Morikawa, who grew up 30 miles away. “You could stop any club from any position – from the rough, flyer lies. I think I had two or three shots today, flyers out of the first cut and rough, and I wasn’t concerned about missing the green at all.”

The biggest surprise was Scheffler, who was on track for a third consecutive tournament without breaking par in the opening round. He hasn’t experienced this since his rookie season in 2020, and this was particularly frustrating given how hard he slammed a bathroom door on No. 9.

He started with a three-putt par from 30 feet on the opening hole. He missed greens and putts from the 6-foot range. On the par-5 eighth, his tee shot landed in the barranca that separates the fairways, flew 30 yards past the pin, chipped to the fringe, and three-putted from 20 feet.

He was 5 over for his round and faced 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 qualified for the Tour Championship and is participating in the signature events for the first time, made his debut at Riviera with a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 opening hole, only to struggle on the par-3 fourth, where the tee was moved forward to make it only 220 yards (the scorecard yardage is 273). He was short on the apron, left his chip short, and then sent his next chip 35 feet past the hole.

However, he excelled when play resumed and the wind intensified, collecting five birdies in a 10-hole stretch and missing only one green after the delay.

“I think one of my strengths is controlling shot trajectories, hitting shots where others may not accurately gauge the distance, and just feeling it out,” Bridgeman noted. “I think today, especially in the wind, it worked to my advantage. I got to execute some of those shots while I saw others hitting high, ballooning shots that were adversely affected by the wind.”