Thomas, Scott tied for lead at soggy Riviera
Justin Thomas was playing well enough to want to keep going, with six birdies in a seven-hole stretch before it was too dark to continue Friday at the Genesis Open. It also was raining. It was cold. And he already had been slogging through Riviera for nine hours.
“It's hard playing 30 holes, but it's really hard when it's raining and it's soft,” Thomas said after making 14 birdies on a long day that sent him home tied for the lead with Adam Scott at 10under par. “My legs are tired, so I just need to go home and rest and get some food and try to go to sleep early as I can.”
Tiger Woods had a few big moments that didn't last long. He had four straight birdies around the turn in the morning, a streak that ended with a three-putt bogey at No. 12. He had four three-putts in the first round for a 70.
His highlight in the afternoon, as the temperatures and rain became steady, was a 45-foot eagle putt on the par-5 first to start his back nine. It really was an Instagram moment , for a fan screamed out, “Make this! It's going on Instagram!” Woods delivered, only to bogey the next two holes to end his day at even par for the second round, 1-under for the tournament.
The second round will be finished today before the start of the third. PELS DUMP DEMPS The New Orleans Pelicans have decided to fire ninth-year general manager Dell Demps and start the process of finding someone to deal with the fallout of All-Star Anthony Davis’ recent trade demand. Demps' dismissal comes after Davis said in late January that he would not sign an extension with New Orleans and wants to be traded to a contending team.
“As difficult as these decisions are, my responsibility is to provide the leadership and resources necessary to deliver a winning team to our fans and community,” Pelicans owner Gayle Benson said Friday in a written statement. “I take that responsibility seriously and would like to assure our fans that I am prepared to provide any, and all, resources required to compete for championships.”
Davis has another season remaining on his contract after this one and this season's trade deadline has passed, meaning no trade will happen until summer under the new front office regime.\