Los Angeles, February 21 The trio of Indian-origin golfers, Aaron Rai, Akshay Bhatia, and Sahith Theegala, made the halfway cut at the Genesis Invitational, the second Signature event of the season on the PGA Tour.
Rai, whose first round of 66 put him in the Top-10, shot a second round of 70 and was tied for 12th, while Bhatia (68-71) was tied for 21st, and Theegala, who is playing this week on a Charlie Sifford exemption from tournament host Tiger Woods, with rounds of 70-71, was tied for 33rd.
Rai had five birdies against four bogeys, while Bhatia had three birdies and three bogeys, and Theegala had three birdies against two bogeys.
Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman had excellent finishes at The Riviera Country Club, each with a 7-under 64 that left them tied for the lead with Rory McIlroy right behind them.
For Scottie Scheffler, it was a grind to get to the cut line, as he made a 7-foot par putt.
Penge, the leading player from the DP World Tour to secure a PGA TOUR card for this year, pulled away with five birdies over his final seven holes and posted a total of 12-under 130, becoming the first to do so.
What was remarkable was his focus on golf, despite his wife moving into their new home in Florida and expecting their second child next week.
Bridgeman birdied his last three holes, finishing with a 5-iron into a cool breeze to 8 feet to join Penge.
McIlroy, who opened with 66-65, had only one bogey on his card through 36 holes.
Scheffler, who had to rally on Friday morning for a 74 to complete the rain-delayed first round, was well aware of his position.
At 4-over par for the tournament with 10 holes to play, he needed to get to even par. He did so with a 68, just making the cut.
It was the third consecutive week he failed to break par in the opening round.