© Ryan Kang
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann tees off the 17th hole during the second round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joaquin Niemann was playing so well and having so much fun at the Riviera that he didn’t want to finish. And on Friday, he got back on track and shattered the record following 36 holes at the Genesis Invitational tournament.
With the opening round of 63 still fresh in his memory, the Chilean took a 6-iron for an Eagle on the first hole, and followed it up with a birdie to finish with another round of 63.
Niemann has a cumulative 126 strokes, 16 under par, which broke the previous mark that had been set 20 minutes earlier by Cameron Young, a 24-year-old golfer, a rookie on the PGA Tour, who got birdies on the last four holes. for a round of 62.
Young accumulates 128 hits, to keep Niemann company at the top of the classification.
The record, before Friday, was 130 strokes. It was shared by four players, the most recent being Sam Burns in last year’s edition.
Among others who finished their ride early on Friday was two-time Riviera winner Adam Scott. He threw 133 shots, 9 under par, and felt he was doing everything right. He heads into the weekend needing to overcome seven shots difference.
“I have a long way to go. Not that I’m close right now,” Scott said.
This is to blame Niemann, the 23-year-old Chilean, who feels at home on Sunset Boulevard.
“We did very well from the beginning. I really liked how I handled myself on the field,” Niemann acknowledged.
The record of 72 strokes was set in 1985 by Lanny Wadkins with 264 strokes 20 under par, and is the longest in the PGA.
It might be time for Wadkins to break a sweat. Niemann shot very well on Thursday—all but one of his nine birdies were within 10 feet—and he had four birdies on Friday with putts of 15 feet or longer, including a 40-footer on the 12th hole.
