PACIFIC PALISIDE, Calif. — Los Angeles knows a good leading man, and the sight of one is a draw at the box office. It also knows that sometimes big-name stars don’t get top ratings on opening day.
Riviera Country Club treated golf fans to a three-act thriller Thursday at the Genesis Invitational. The first act begins with early morning rain. The second act was delayed by nearly three hours, forcing players and spectators to seek shelter and stay warm. Act 3 resumes at 1:05 p.m., a blustery test of the classic 1926 design by George Thomas and William Bell.
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When play was suspended due to darkness at 5:41 p.m. local time (8:41 p.m. ET), 34 players had yet to complete the first round.
England’s Aaron Rai hits the ball on the second hole during the first round of the 2026 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 19, 2026 in Pacific Palisades, California.
Aaron Rai leads the way at 6 under after 16 holes. Jacob Bridgeman shot a 66 to tie Rory McIlroy at 5 under. A group of co-stars finished at 3 under, including Collin Morikawa, Akshay Bhatia and Pierceson Coody, one behind McIlroy.
Even before play was suspended at 10:13 a.m., Riviera never really felt calm because everyone knew what was coming. Oddly enough, the greens are soft but still fast, an odd combination that encourages attack and punishes misjudgments.
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Rye wasted no time in stepping into the spotlight. He opened with an eagle on the first hole, then had six birdies and two bogeys. His putting was outstanding, with a 32-foot eagle putt on the first hole and a 79-foot bomb on the ninth hole. In a field rife with star power, he’s a character actor trying to steal the spotlight.
“I’ve definitely gotten more comfortable playing in conditions like this over the last few years because I’ve gotten more comfortable controlling the flight of the ball,” McIlroy said as the sun set.
Rory McIlroy holed a few key putts for a 66 on Thursday.
Last year, he focused more on trajectory control, hitting three-quarter shots, mid-iron flight, and reducing ball spin. But on the soft 18th, he hit a full 9-iron from 186 yards that still spun back 30 feet.
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Bridgeman was hampered by the weather in his first tournament appearance. He describes the ball’s downward flight as one of his strengths and says the wind actually works in his favor.
“I think today especially with the wind, it worked in my favor,” he said.
He figured the wind might be stronger than the rain and relied on low, controlled iron shots to avoid a lot of shots. In a town that loves comebacks, Bridgeman fought back from a double bogey on the fourth hole to put on a crisp opening performance.
Morikawa, who won at Pebble Beach with a 3-under 68, described the day as a long, fitful day.
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“A lot of back and forth. Rain, rain. Wind, wind,” he said.
He said he’d never seen Riviera’s greens play so well — soft enough to stop shots from just about anywhere, but fast enough to unnerve 30-foot players. He expects conditions to change over the next 54 holes, especially if the wind dies down.
Then comes a plot twist that no one wrote.
World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler finished 10 holes Thursday at 5 over, tied for last with Keegan Bradley. He had no birdies on the day and made double bogey on the par-4 eighth when he hit his second shot into the green’s right bleacher. Relieved, he put the ball on the green and still shot 6.
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Scheffler will resume play Friday at 7 a.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) along with other finishers. The second round is scheduled to begin at 7:40 a.m. and the PGA Tour will use two sets of tee boxes to allow play to resume as scheduled.
In Los Angeles, everyone wants to earn the most. After an unpredictable Thursday, the cast and plot of Riviera remain up in the air.
This article originally appeared in Golfweek: 2026 Genesis Invitational: Aaron Rai leads after Thursday’s Riviera play