LOS ANGELES — Joaquin Niemann continued his assault on the Riviera Country Club golf course Friday, shooting his second straight eight-under-par 63 for a two-round score of 126 at the Genesis Invitational, shattering the previous 36-hole course record of 130 by four strokes.
The 23-year-old Chilean racked up seven birdies and one eagle to move to 16 under with his blistering morning round, two strokes ahead of PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young, who birdied nine holes in his bogey-free round of 62 on Friday and is two strokes back at 14 under.
Justin Thomas, ranked eighth in the World Golf Rankings, shot an afternoon round of 64 to move to within five strokes of Niemann at 11 under. Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott are tied for fourth place at nine under, and Collin Morikawa is in sixth place at eight under.