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Genesis Open 2019: Justin Thomas Tied for Lead, Round 2 Suspended for Darkness

Rob Goldberg@TheRobGoldbergFeatured ColumnistFebruary 16, 2019

Justin Thomas hits his tee shot on the fourth hole as first round play continues during the Genesis Open golf tournament at Riviera Country Club on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)
Ryan Kang/Associated Press

After a rain-filled first day at the Genesis Open, Justin Thomas and Adam Scott are tied for the lead through Friday's action at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.

Both players sit at 10 under par before the second round was called due to darkness. Thomas was able to get through 12 holes in Round 2 while Scott played 11. Jordan Spieth didn't get a chance to start his second round but is in contention at minus-seven.

Tiger Woods also finally got on the course after being shut out Thursday, sitting at minus-one for the tournament.

          

Current Standings

T1. Justin Thomas (-10 thru 12)

T1. Adam Scott (-10 thru 11)

3. J.B. Holmes (-9 thru 9)

T4. Jordan Spieth (-7)

T4. Luke List (-7 thru 15)

6. Keegan Bradley (-6 thru 13)

T7. Jon Rahm (-5 thru 13)

T7. Si Woo Kim (-5 thru 10)

T7. Vaughn Taylor (-5 thru 10)

T7. Scott Langley (-5 thru 10)

T7. Tony Finau (-5)

T7. Patrick Rodgers (-5)

T7. Kramer Hickok (-5)

Full leaderboard available at PGATour.com.

          

The tournament got off to a rough start Thursday, with officials deciding to reset the scores in Round 1 after about an hour of play. Players got back on course after a seven-hour delay, with Jordan Spieth earning a share of the lead.

Spieth continued his solid play with two more birdies in his final four holes of Round 1. This put him in good shape going forward:

Justin Ray @JustinRayGolf

This is the 6th time @JordanSpieth has opened a @PGATOUR event with a round of 64 or lower. He won 2 of the previous 5 instances (2015 Masters, 2017 Travelers).

Will Gray @WillGrayGC

Spieth out to an early lead at Riv after an opening 64. In search of first top-10 since @TheOpen, first top-5 since @TheMasters and first win since '17 Open.

He didn't get a chance to begin Round 2, though, which means it could be a busy weekend for the three-time major winner.

"I've had to play 30 holes, 36 holes in a day a couple years ago and it can be very taxing here," Spieth said after his round, per Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel. "It's tough, it's spongy ground, it will wear on you a bit if you're not careful. It's all about trying to save as much energy as possible more than anything else."

Meanwhile, the rest of the field made moves while he was in the clubhouse.

J.B. Holmes shot up the leaderboard and finished Round 1 in first place thanks to his hole-in-one on No. 16:

PGA TOUR @PGATOUR

🚨ACE🚨 @JBHolmesgolf is tied for the lead after this hole-in-one. #LiveUnderPar https://t.co/FS7EaFVGit

He ended up getting to minus-nine, one stroke off the lead.

Still, the biggest battle at the top was between former major champions Justin Thomas and Adam Scott, who continued to play well despite rough weather conditions before the horn finally blew at 5:26 p.m. PT.

Only a double-bogey prevented a perfect first round from Thomas, while his putting helped him post low numbers. This continued into Round 2 as he excelled in all phases:

PGA TOUR @PGATOUR

Tracking ... Tracking ... Tracking ... @JustinThomas34 with the putter raise. 🙌 #LiveUnderPar https://t.co/i1XqClcect

PGA TOUR @PGATOUR

14th hole: 🐦 15th hole: 🐦 16th hole: 🐦 17th hole: You guessed it ⤵️ @JustinThomas34 is rollin'. #LiveUnderPar https://t.co/Op3mDGwzKk

Scott was even more consistent, totaling 11 birdies and just one bogey in his 29 holes played in the first two rounds.

While these players are in great shape, there will still be a lot of competition with more than two rounds remaining.

Bryson DeChambeau sits six strokes off the lead but had some of the best shots of the day, including this eagle on 17.

PGA TOUR @PGATOUR

🦅 @B_DECHAMBEAU HOLES OUT FOR THE THIRD TIME TODAY! #LiveUnderPar https://t.co/VDWgxQq7mJ

Woods played 30 holes Friday and finished one stroke under par, with seven birdies and eight bogeys and one eagle.

The players will once again have to make up ground in a modified scheduled Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. ET.