While Tiger Woods’ early exit from the Genesis Invitational made headlines, Jordan Spieth was quietly disqualified from the tournament for posting the wrong score on his card.
It was Spieth’s first disqualification in 263 PGA tournaments.
Spieth was within three shots of the lead at the turn on the second lap at Riviera until he dropped three shots as Patrick Cantlay, playing in his group, began to pull away.
Spieth made a double bogey on the 18th hole for a 73, leaving him 10 shots behind. But he signed for a 3 on the par-3 fourth hole when he actually made a 4, leading to a disqualification. Spieth had missed the green on the left, chipped to about four feet and lipped out.
“Today I signed for an incorrect scorecard and stepped out of the scoring area, after considering that I had gone through all the procedures to ensure it was correct,” Spieth later wrote on X. “Rules are rules and I take full responsibility. I love this tournament and the golf course as much as any other tournament on @PGATOUR, so it hurts not to run on the weekend. Really appreciated the support in LA @thegenesisinv @thegenesisinv.”
Jordan Spieth tees off on the fourth hole during the second round of the Genesis Invitational
Spieth was within three shots of the lead at the turn in the second round before being DQ’d
This means that there are still 51 players on the field at Riviera this weekend. The signature event featured a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties, with everyone within 10 shots of the lead. Cantlay started with an eagle and didn’t let anyone get near him for the rest of the round Friday. He shot a 6-under 65 to build a five-shot lead at the Genesis Invitational, entering a weekend in which Woods will not be present.
Woods made another early exit, this one due to flu symptoms rather than his injured body. He withdrew after six holes and spent the next two hours obtaining intravenous fluids before leaving Riviera, along with much of the gallery.
‘Not physically at all. His back is fine,” said Rob McNamara, a longtime association member and vice president of TGR Ventures. “It was all a medical illness, dehydration, the symptoms of which are now going away on their own now that he has had an IV.”
Woods was driven away in a red SUV around the time Cantlay ran from the field.
Cantlay has created just about everything and given himself many opportunities. He knows Riviera as well as any PGA Tour course, having gone to UCLA. He probably played this course about 70 times in college and as a professional.
“Putting well and leaving the golf ball in the right spot, which is really important here,” said Cantlay, who leads the way in key putting stats. “It’s a golf course that I really feel comfortable with and it’s in the best condition I’ve ever seen.
“It’s the best putting surface I’ve ever seen here,” he said. “I like it when the greens are really fast, they’re as fast as I’ve ever seen them and I’ve made a lot of them.”
It’s an unhappy ending for Tiger Woods at the Genesis as he withdraws due to illness
Even when it looked like he was in trouble, he managed just fine. Cantlay missed the fairway on Riviera’s two toughest holes, Nos. 12 and 15. He hit 4-iron to 10 feet on No. 12 – missing the birdie putt – and 4-iron to 10 feet on No. 15, making one of only three birdies on that hole in the second round.
He was at 13 under 129, which gave him a five-shot lead over Jason Day (69), Luke List (69) and Mackenzie Hughes (65).
Woods wasn’t the only surprising departure. Jordan Spieth, playing for Cantlay, had a rough finish that left him ten shots behind, but drew an incorrect scorecard and was disqualified.
That ensured that Riviera had a field of 51 participants this weekend. This signature event features a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and draws and everyone within 10 shots – the latter was not a problem because of Cantlay. The cut came in at 1-over-143, eliminating Pebble Beach winner Wyndham Clark and Justin Thomas.
Now it’s a matter of trying to get Cantlay, who can’t find much not to like this week.
Day and List played in the morning, setting the target at 8 under, and it didn’t take long for Cantlay to catch them. He hit his approach on the par-5 opening hole to 15 feet behind the flag and holed it for Eagle.
The big excitement was due to Will Zalatoris, who had a 70 that looked nothing but ordinary on the scorecard. Zalatoris had five bogeys and four birdies, along with a hole-in-one on hole 14. This star came with a car not only for Zalatoris but also for caddy Joel Stock.
“If I shoot 1 under, it’s usually two birdies and a bogey,” Zalatoris said. “Throwing in a hole-in-one and a bunch of crazy bogeys isn’t exactly how we envisioned it, but we’re still going to do it on this course.”
Cantlay looks at his putt on the 13th green during the second round of the Genesis Invitational
Corey Conners of Canada had a 65 and was in fifth place. Zalatoris was joined by Xander Schauffele (66) and Tom Hoge (70). Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, had another sublime performance from tee to green and more effort on the greens for a 70.
Rory McIlroy can only replace Scheffler at world number 1 with a win, and his first step was to make it to the weekend. McIlroy had a 66 to take the first part, but that still leaves him eight shots behind Cantlay, who isn’t doing much wrong.
‘Sometimes you just have periods where one week you earn more than the other. I’ve had weeks where I’ve gotten really hot with the putter, so hopefully this is one of those weeks,” Cantlay said.
He was asked if a good attitude towards poa annua vegetables can help.
“You’re probably asking the wrong guy,” he said. ‘When you’ve made as many putts as I have in the last few days, it’s easy to have a good attitude on the greens. ‘