LA JOLLA, Calif. — Thursday’s first spherical of the Genesis Invitational caused brutal circumstances: temperatures within the 50s, a nagging drizzle, and a cold, vicious wind out of the south. Gamers had no selection however to bundle up, carrying outfits you may put on to the ski mountain, to not Torrey Pines South.
Patrick Rodgers went by way of a number of hand heaters, carrying massive cart mittens in between pictures. Eire’s Seamus Energy wore further layers, and Tom Kim even used a hand pouch whereas warming up on the driving vary — one thing Josh Allen would put on throughout a Buffalo Payments sport in January.
Denny McCarthy, who leads at 4-under, additionally carried a hand hotter in his again pocket and wore a full suite of layers.
However that didn’t cease him from producing one of many pictures of the day. On the par-5 18th, he had 267 yards left for his second shot. McCarthy had 5-wood in hand however determined to membership up and hit a 3-wood. The choice paid off as he caught it to seven toes and transformed the eagle attempt, which leapfrogged him to the highest of the leaderboard.
“I’m a grindy competitor so I knew it was going to be a problem immediately,” McCarthy mentioned.
“I got here out with the perspective that I used to be simply going to have enjoyable and attempt to embrace it as a lot as I may.”
Everybody within the subject had their umbrellas out too, donning rain gear in an try to remain dry. Every participant additionally went by way of a number of gloves, doing their finest to maintain their palms and their grips dry. All of this makes life extraordinarily troublesome for the caddies.
“I’d a lot somewhat be the participant than the caddie,” Rodgers joked after posting a 3-under 69, one among simply three sub-70 rounds on Thursday. Energy additionally shot 69.
“The evening earlier than, you see the forecast, and also you simply comprehend it’s going to be actually troublesome. It nearly looks like when you’re on the market, you may must get by way of it one shot at a time, however it’s the daunting nature of understanding you’ve bought to spend 18 holes with the tough the way in which that it’s, the size of the golf course and the climate that was forecasted, it’s no straightforward activity.”
The South Course at Torrey Pines options overseeded ryegrass that’s U.S. Open thick. Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Wyndham Clark — and each participant, for that matter — have taken huge hacks out of the tough, struggling to advance the ball greater than 150 yards on a number of events. With the wind whipping, discovering the fairways — a necessity on this course — grew to become fairly difficult. No surprise solely 13 of the 72 gamers on this week’s subject posted under-par scores.
“Truthfully, on a golf course like this, you recognize it’s going to be powerful,” Energy mentioned.
“You simply know what’s coming, and there’s no actual letup; you’ve bought to hit some good pictures. That’s the great thing about this golf course. It’s proper there in entrance of you, however you do must hit numerous good pictures in a row, and it’s going to check each a part of your sport.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.
