Closing eagle gives McCarthy lead at rainy PGA Genesis

  • News
  • February 14, 2025

The 31-year-old American fired a four-under par 68 at shower-softened Torrey Pines near San Diego, where the event was moved from Riviera due to Los Angeles wildfires damage.

Players battled cold, windy and rainy conditions, with McCarthy’s first Torrey Pines visit in four years off to a brutal but successful start.

“I’m a grindy competitor so I knew it was going to be a challenge and I came out with the attitude that I was just going to have fun and try to embrace it as much as I could,” McCarthy said.

“Was a huge help to play the pro-am yesterday in even nastier conditions, so it prepared me really well for the shots I knew I was going to face.”

Ireland’s Seamus Power and American Patrick Rodgers shared second on 69 with Americans Wyndham Clark, Davis Thompson and Scottie Scheffler sharing fourth on 70.

Top-ranked Scheffler lipped out from just inside four feet on a birdie putt at the par-5 18th to stay two adrift.

“Very difficult to score. It got pretty windy out there and that makes it difficult to putt,” Scheffler said.

“Missing putts is something that’s going to happen. You can hit putts that not go in but I did a pretty good job of staying patient,” added Scheffler, whose nine victories last year included Paris Olympic gold, his second Masters green jacket and the PGA Tour Championship.

World number 50 McCarthy’s best PGA career finishes have been playoff losses in last April’s Texas Open and the 2023 Memorial tournament.

McCarthy sank a 42-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the first hole, shook off bogeys at the par-3 third and par-4 fifth with birdies at the par-5 sixth and par-3 11th.

He made a birdie putt at 15 from just inside 20 feet, missed the green to bogey the par-3 16th, sank a 25-foot birdie putt at 17 and dropped his second shot at 18 to seven feet, setting up his eagle.

“It was very difficult, especially with the rain and the rough length. The rough’s gnarly and the rain makes it even more difficult,” said McCarthy.

“Even though the greens are soft, it was still really hard to get close to certain flags, especially with the wind direction.”

Power birdied two of the last four holes, sinking a birdie putt from just outside 10 feet at 15 and landing his approach inside three feet at 17 to set up a tap-in birdie.

“Toughest part was just getting it on the fairways,” Power said. “You’re wearing extra layers. It almost feels harder in these sort of conditions and as soon as you miss a fairway you’re in big trouble.”

Rodgers birdied the last two holes, sinking an 11-foot birdie putt at 17 and finding the par-5 18th green in two to set up a tap-in birdie.

“You’re just trying to get back under the umbrella or get the heated mitts back on,” Rodgers said.

‘It was pretty crazy’

Scheffler birdied the second from just inside 14 feet and the fourth on a five-foot putt.

After a three-putt bogey at the fifth, he answered with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 sixth and a 10-foot birdie putt at the seventh.

Scheffler found deep left rough on a bunker’s edge at 14 and his approach sank in greenside rough on the way to a bogey before his birdie miss at 18.

“Everything was wet out there. It was pretty crazy,” Scheffler said. “You just had to manage your way around the golf course and know par is a really good score.”

World number three Rory McIlroy, a winner two weeks ago at Pebble Beach, was in a pack on 72.

© 2025 AFP

Related Posts

  • February 25, 2025
  • 74 views
Transgender religious order gets rare approval at India Hindu festival

Prayagraj (India) (AFP) – Transgender activists often shunned by society say they have found rare acceptance at India’s Hindu Kumbh Mela festival by giving blessings to pilgrims attending the world’s largest religious gathering.

  • February 25, 2025
  • 72 views
Stuck in eternal drought, UAE turns to AI to make it rain

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – In the marbled halls of a luxury hotel, leading experts are discussing a new approach to an age-old problem: how to make it rain in the UAE, the wealthy Gulf state that lies in one of the world’s biggest deserts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You Missed

Transgender religious order gets rare approval at India Hindu festival

  • February 25, 2025
  • 74 views
Transgender religious order gets rare approval at India Hindu festival

Stuck in eternal drought, UAE turns to AI to make it rain

  • February 25, 2025
  • 72 views
Stuck in eternal drought, UAE turns to AI to make it rain

Trump's chip tariff threats raise stakes for Taiwan

  • February 25, 2025
  • 74 views
Trump's chip tariff threats raise stakes for Taiwan

Galatasaray accuse Mourinho of 'racist statements' after derby

  • February 25, 2025
  • 90 views
Galatasaray accuse Mourinho of 'racist statements' after derby

Fears of US public health crises grow amid falling vaccination rates

  • February 25, 2025
  • 87 views
Fears of US public health crises grow amid falling vaccination rates

Latin American classics get the streaming treatment

  • February 25, 2025
  • 72 views
Latin American classics get the streaming treatment