First-round leader Denny McCarthy is alone in third at 6 under, one better than McIlroy. He made four birdies on the front nine, including spinning it back to gimme range at the fifth. His wedge game was sharp, knocking it tight on No. 9 and 15 and he stuffed a short iron from the rough inside three feet at 17 to set up another easy birdie.

Denny McCarthy ended a miserable day in a most brilliant manner Thursday at the Genesis Invitational, closing birdie-eagle for a 4-under 68 on a Torrey Pines course that more than lived up to its reputation as a beast.

Sunny and 72? Try soggy, with way more scores above 72 than below it in Thursday’s opening round of the Genesis Invitational. A winter storm that arrived Wednesday night in San Diego made for cold, wet and windy conditions at the Torrey Pines Golf Course.