Golf: Cantlay leads as Woods vies to make cut at Riviera

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Patrick Cantlay fired five birdies in a two-under par 69 on Friday to seize the clubhouse lead at Riviera Country Club, where Tiger Woods was vying to make the halfway cut in the Genesis Open.

Cantlay, a Southern California native who shared the first-round lead with Tony Finau, kept the pedal down despite tricky early conditions on the classic course west of downtown Los Angeles.

His five birdies included a burst of three in a row that began with a near hole-in-one at the par-three sixth -- his 15th of the day.

"I played well today," said Cantlay, who was in the clubhouse with a seven-under-par total of 135. "The wind was switching all over the place for probably the first 12 or so holes I played and it was tricky.

"I did a lot of good things, just got to clean up a few things and it would have been a really great one."

Among the disappointments was a bogey at the ninth to cap his round.

That still gave him a two-stroke cushion over Finau, who was in the clubhouse on five-under after an even-par 71.

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, who claimed the most recent of his nine US PGA Tour titles at Riviera in 2016, climbed the leaderboard with four birdies in a row, but a double-bogey at the par-four fifth and a bogey at his penultimate hole, the eighth, saw him in the clubhouse on four-under, tied with Jamie Lovemark who like Watson signed for a two-under 70.

Woods, playing Riviera for the first time since 2006 as he continues his comeback in the wake of spinal fusion surgery last April, started the day one-over, and picked up his first birdie of the day at the third hole, rolling in an 18-footer to a roar of approval from a big gallery.

With the afternoon starters on the course, the projected cut line was one-over.

That would see world number one and defending champion Dustin Johnson make it on the number.

After a three-over par first round, Johnson posted a two-under 69 on Friday to stand one-over for the tournament.