No one can escape nature, not even the best in the world. Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, came to Riviera Country Club as a favorite but ran straight into darkness.

At 5:41 p.m. PT on February 20, Round 1 of the Genesis Invitational was called off because it was getting too dark to play golf. But for Scheffler, the day had already been ruined, long before the PGA Tour made it official.

Scheffler had already made 3 bogeys and 1 double bogey through just 10 holes, putting him at +5, dead last, and tied for 71st with Keegan Bradley, with 8 holes still to play when the hooter sounded. He’ll be back tomorrow to finish what has been a terrible start.

As Scheffler struggled, the leaderboard told a very different story. Aaron Rai of England is in the lead at -6 after 16 holes, looking calm on a tough Riviera course. Rory McIlroy and J.D. Bridgeman are tied for second place at -5, just behind him. Ryan Fox (-4) and Patrick Coody (-3) are the last two in the top five.

Scheffler was in great shape when he came to the Genesis. He started 2026 with a strong 4-shot win at The AmEx (27-under), then got a T3 and T4 in the Farmers Insurance Open and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. By making it 19 straight top-10 finishes overall. On paper, he was untouchable.

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But Riviera has always been a blind spot for him. He has only made the top ten twice at the course: T7 in 2022 and T10 in 2024. Last year, he got his T3 at Torrey Pines. The number one player in the world has never won here. Round 1 is already showing why that record is still there.

Here, where it gets interesting. Despite this performance, Scheffler still has the 8th-shortest odds to win the tournament at +2500. The market simply refuses to count him out, and that’s the Scottie Scheffler effect in full force.

For the first time since 2019, the Genesis Invitational was hit by a rain delay. Heavy rainfall suspended play before Scheffler, grouped with Xander Schauffele and Si Woo Kim, could even tee off. His start was pushed back over 3 hours. When he finally got out, Riviera handed him 3 bogeys and a double bogey across 10 holes before darkness ended the day at 5:41 p.m. PT.

The struggle at Riviera, however, doesn’t define what Scheffler truly is.

Scottie Scheffler isn’t chasing Tiger Woods anymore

Card for the PGA Tour in 2020. Number one in the world by 2022. Before he turned 30, he had won 20 times, four major tournaments, and an Olympic gold. Nicklaus and Tiger were the only ones who got there faster. For 170 weeks in a row, he has been at the top of the rankings and shows no signs of letting it go.

The numbers are true. Tiger’s total score after his first 145 career starts was -1,178. What about Scottie Scheffler’s? -1,181. Three shots better than the best golfer who ever lived at that point in time. That one fact should end all discussions about whether Scheffler should be in the GOAT conversation.

And the competition that everyone wants? It could really happen. Tiger was asked whether he would be able to play in the Masters again after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. He said, “No.”

Moreover,  just days earlier at Pebble Beach, when asked about his historic 17 straight top-10s, a run that eclipsed Tiger Woods‘ best, he said, “I could not care any less.”

Riviera has never let Scheffler win, and right now, it’s not even giving him a fair chance. But the man who can keep up with Woods shot-for-shot in 145 starts doesn’t back down. Suday will be tell an intresting narrative.