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PACIFIC PALISADES (CNS) - Chilean Joaquin Niemann holds a three-shot lead over four golfers entering today's second round of the $12 million Genesis Invitational at The Riviera Country Club, thanks to a record-tying 8-under 63.
Niemann tied the tournament record for the lowest first-round score. Of the eight others who shot a first-round 63, four went on to win the tournament -- Charlie Sifford (1969), Lanny Wadkins (1985), Phil Mickelson (2009) and J.B. Holmes (2019).
The others to shoot 63 in the tournament's first round are Terry Mauney (1982), Michael Allen (1990), Padraig Harrington (2007) and Camilio Villegas (2016).
``I think it's got to be one of my best days on the golf course, especially in a place like this with this history,'' Niemann said. ``Riviera Country Club is one of my favorite golf courses and this event is my favorite during the year.''
The 23-year-old Niemann tied his career high with nine birdies, including on three of his first four holes, and a bogey on the par-4 12, his third hole.
``I hit the ball great off the tee,'' said Niemann, who has one PGA Tour victory in his 100 starts, the 2019 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. ``My iron play, I was hitting it really close so that makes it a lot easier. The greens were pretty good also today and it wasn't that windy.''
Defending champion Max Homa is among the golfers tied for second at 5- under 66, along with Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Cameron Young.
``I did everything pretty well today,'' said Homa, a Valencia resident and 2009 graduate of Valencia High School. ``I putted really well inside 5 feet, which was key. The greens got super bumpy as they do out here. I drove it great, irons were solid. I didn't really put myself in too many bad spots.''
Scheffler recorded his first victory in his 71 PGA Tour starts Sunday, winning the WM Phoenix Open in a playoff over Patrick Cantlay, the 2010 graduate of Servite High School in Anaheim and former UCLA standout who is third in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Collin Morikawa is among six golfers tied for sixth at 4-under 67, four shots off the lead. Morikawa, a 2015 La Canada High graduate, is second on the Official World Golf Ranking. He or Cantlay would replace Spaniard Jon Rahm as the world's top-ranked men's golfer with a victory and if Rahm finishes worse than a solo fourth-place finish.
Rahm shot a 2-under 69 and is among 21 golfers tied for 22nd, six shots off the lead in the tournament whose field includes each of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Cantlay shot a 1-under 70 and is among 18 golfers tied for 43rd, seven shots off the lead.
The tournament is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sifford, the first Black player to compete on the modern-day PGA Tour. It included having Aaron Beverly, the 2022 Sifford Exemption recipient, hit the tournament's first tee shot.
With host Tiger Woods looking on, Beverly hit his tee shot 329 yards to the right fairway, then sank a 17-inch putt for a birdie on the 503-yard par- 5 hole.
Beverly also birdied the par-4 seventh hole, but had a quintuple-bogey on the par-4 eighth hole and finished at 11-over 82, the round's high score in the 120-player field.
Since 2009, an exemption has been given to a golfer representing a minority background to play in the tournament. In 2017, the exemption was re- named to honor Sifford's memory.
The first hole features the number ``100'' on its tee sign and pin flag.
Sifford's books, ``Just Let Me Play'' and the children's book ``Charlie Takes His Shot'' are available for purchase in the tournament merchandise shop in an effort to help share Sifford's story with tournament fans.
Sifford is the tournament's most recent wire-to-wire winner.
``Charlie was the grandfather I never had,'' Woods said at a news conference Wednesday. ``I named my son after Charlie, he meant that much to me and my family. My dad would never have been able to play the game of golf, he would have never taken it up if Charlie hadn't broken down the Caucasian clause.
``It's very important for us to honor what he has done, has meant to this great game of golf.''
From 1934 to 1961, The PGA of America's ``Caucasian-only clause'' was part of the association's bylaws and prevented non-whites from membership.
Sifford received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-President Barack Obama in 2014, one year before he died at age 92.
The tournament is one of three PGA Tour events with elevated status, along with the Memorial Tournament and Arnold Palmer Invitational. Those three events offer a larger purse ($12 million, up from $9.3 million in 2021), an increased allotment of FedExCup points (550 to the winner) and a three-year PGA Tour exemption for the winner.
The field will be reduced to the low 65 and ties following the completion of second-round play.
The tournament is set to conclude Sunday. The winner will receive $2.16 million.