Rory McIlroy sits one shot behind leaders Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman at the halfway stage of the Genesis Invitational.

England’s Penge hit five birdies in his final seven holes to post a seven-under-par 64 and move to 12 under overall after two rounds in Los Angeles.

Penge’s 27-hole Friday was all the more remarkable, as he had to complete his nine holes from a weather-delayed round one before moving on to his second round.

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy carded a six-under-par 65 to move to 11 under and having struggled to finish joint 14th at Pebble Beach last week, said the course at the Riviera Country Club was more forgiving.

“There’s no Pacific Ocean to hit it into around this golf course, so that helps,” said world number two McIlroy.

“I still hit some loose shots, but the course set-up is in a way that you can get away with it a little bit more.

“But I’ve hit it well, I’ve controlled my distance well for the most part, and I’ve holed some nice putts from inside eight feet for pars when I’ve needed to.”