Updated at 09.27
JOAQUIN NIEMANN HAD another highlight-reel day at Riviera Country Club on Friday to maintain his lead early in the second round of the US PGA Tour Genesis Invitational.
The 23-year-old Chilean, who equalled the first-round record with an eight-under par 63 on Thursday, fired another 63 for a 36-hole total of 16-under 126.
He was two strokes in front of American Cameron Young, who powered up the leaderboard with a nine-under par 62 to stand on 128.
Niemann, chasing a second PGA Tour title after his victory in the 2019 Greenbrier, opened with a bang at the first hole, where he landed his second shot three feet from the pin for an eagle.
He rolled in a 14-foot birdie putt at the second and gave himself a tap-in at the seventh before picking up his fifth shot on the front nine with a nine-foot birdie at the ninth.
Niemann bounced back from a bogey at the 10th with a 12-foot birdie at 11 and a 42-foot birdie putt at the 12th.
Young was piling on the pressure with a late charge when Niemann added a 17-foot birdie at the 14th and a tap-in birdie at the par-5 17th.
Young, a 24-year-old rookie who graduated from the Korn Ferry developmental tour, had nine birdies, including four straight to end his round from the sixth through the ninth holes.
He polished off the superb effort by hitting his 107-yard second shot at the ninth to within two feet and tapping in.
There was disappointment for Séamus Power, as he finished on two over par and missed the cut as a result, while Rory McIlroy has added a 70 to his 69 to sit on three-under in a tie for 31st.
- You can view the leaderboard here>
Egg chasing is so fecking boring. Who likes this rubbish bar a few wasps ??
Ah Ed, surely you can do better than that. That line has been used over and over again by many different trolls. Be a bit original please.
So why bother watching ir commenting?
His Ashton style diving could have cost his team the game. He could easily have made some yards towards the posts for both his tries and given his kicker a much better chance of nailing the conversion. Awesome step and acceleration for that second try though.
Thought the exact same thing. Talented but classless.
It’s just silly. You get your biggest lad to come crash into us then we do the same with our biggest lad. Backward and archaic with little or no skill involved. Guess that’s why it’s mainly a colonial game with little worldwide appeal
Most games are silly and most world wide games are English imported to keep stupid natives distracted while they raped and pillaged their lands. Distracted by playing, watching or commenting on the stupid games. Damn those tricky Brits
Ed what’s ur sport of choice?
Not many comments on your article. Wonder why?
Not many comments on any of the articles on TheScore.ie. Ever since they split the sections into different apps, people don’t seem to bother switching between them.
Coz the Rugby crowd is out on the town