Kuchar stays sharp while Woods fades

LOS ANGELES — Matt Kuchar made a mess of Riviera’s easiest hole. He couldn’t find the fairway and felt he was on the defensive Friday in the Genesis Invitational.

He was good enough with the short irons that Kuchar managed a 2-under-par 69 for a 9-under 133 total, building a two-shot lead over No. 1-ranked Rory Mcilroy (67), Las Vegas resident Wyndham Clark (68) and Harold Varner III (68) entering the weekend.

Tiger Woods made his bid for a first Riviera victory and a record 83rd title on the PGA Tour a lot tougher with a 73 that left him nine shots back. UNLV product Adam Scott (64) was in a four-way tie for fifth, three shots behind Kuchar.

At Adelaide, Australia, Bishop Gorman product Inbee Park shot 4-under 69 to tie Jodi Ewart Shadoff (70) atop the ISPS Handa Australian Open leaderboard at 10-under 136.

At Naples, Fla., Doug Barron and Scott Parel each shot 7-under 64 for a one-stroke lead in the Chubb Classic over three-time tournament winner Bernhard Langer and three others.

LPGA: Champions: