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Rory McIlroy 13 shots back as Niemann and Young streak clear at Riviera — Rory At In At Action Photo/ryan Ap Country Invitational Golf Kang Riviera Tournament Mcilroy Genesis Picture: The Club

Fri, 18 Feb, 2022 - 22:09

Brian Keogh

Rory McIlroy might have been happy in years gone by to follow a 69 with a 70 in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.

But the Holywood star was distinctly lacking in showbiz sparkle just a stone’s throw from Sunset Boulevard as some distinctly underwhelming iron play left him a forbidding 13 strokes behind leader Joaquim Niemann.

In fairness to McIlroy, nobody has scored for the first two days like the 24-year old Chilean, who fired back-to-back rounds of 63 to lead by two strokes on 16-under.

Nobody that is except for rookie Cameron Young, another 24-year-old, who followed a 66 with a nine-under 62 to keep Niemann in his sights.

McIlroy finished his day outside the top 25 on three-under-par and he has a lot of LA traffic to negotiate to get back into the mix, while Seamus Power was one of the later starters from one-under.

The world No 5 birdied the two par-fives going out but never hit the ball close enough to make easy birdies, then dropped a shot at the fifth with a wedge in hand after a perfectly placed three-wood.

A bogey there, followed by four closing pars, left him peering up at Niemann, who started eagle-birdie and picked up another six birdies with his only mistake was a bogey at the diabolical, 306-yard 10th.

“I got off to a dream start,” said Niemann, who won his lone title at The Greenbrier in 2020. “I was hitting it great, but I made a few more putts today than yesterday and from a pretty good distance.”

There were good scores to be had with two-time Riviera winner Adam Scott carding a 65 to move up to third on nine-under, seven behind the leader, as McIlroy’s playing partner Viktor Hovland shot 64 to join 67-shooter Russell Knox in a tie for fourth, nine adrift on seven-under.