With Round 2 of The Genesis Invitational complete, two young pros sit atop the leaderboard in search of their first PGA TOUR victory. In his 11th TOUR start, rookie Marco Penge (+500) posted one of the best rounds of the day on Friday, firing a career low 7-under 64. He is joined by Clemson product Jacob Bridgeman (+350), who matched the number after birdieing his final three holes.

The tournament is far from settled, with Rory McIlroy (+185) just one stroke off the lead and currently the betting favorite.

If we’ve learned anything through two rounds, it’s that Riviera can be volatile. First-round play was halted due to heavy rain, and the afternoon wave held a slight scoring advantage over the morning wave. The biggest shift, however, came from round to round. On Thursday, scoring was difficult with the course playing to just 0.11 strokes under par. That number jumped significantly on Friday, with the field averaging 1.57 strokes under par.

Saturday’s scoring conditions should be similar. Sunny weather is expected with temperatures reaching the mid-60s, and wind is projected to be a non-factor for the remainder of the tournament. Players already in good form should not be impacted by the conditions, setting up for two strong closing rounds.

Aldrich Potgieter, Top 10 (+325 DraftKings)

Hopefully, everyone who follows professional golf knows Aldrich Potgieter (+12500) by now. If not, let me introduce you to the 2025 Rocket Classic champion from South Africa. Those familiar with Potgieter remember the young, burly South African who can pound the ball miles down the fairway and carries a fierce yet friendly demeanor on the course.

I’m still not totally over his runner-up finish at the Mexico Open, where it felt like I was robbed in the playoff against Brian Campbell, but Potgieter has always felt like a name we need to remember.

Betting on Potgieter last season came easy at courses that rewarded length without heavily penalizing accuracy. Then there was a slight change in his game to begin the season. He missed three straight cuts and finished T60 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It was strange, at least to the eye, as Potgieter had noticeably slimmed down. In an interview with Golf Channel, he mentioned dropping 35 pounds. While he feels better physically, it took some time for his body and swing to sync back up. That was evident in his first three starts of the year, especially in his approach numbers. His driver remained strong, but his approach play was poor by his standards. He lost strokes on approach in three of four events, including a steep -8.8 at Pebble Beach.

While Potgieter made sense at Riviera, it was difficult for me to want to back him. As the old adage goes, the proof is in the pudding. I needed a little taste before ordering anything off the menu, and that taste came from his approach numbers. After the first round, he lost strokes on approach but still fired a 3-under 68. In the second round, those numbers improved significantly. He gained 1.49 strokes on approach and posted another 3-under 68.

His putter has been solid as well, gaining 1.27 strokes putting. This is his first trip to Riviera, but it doesn’t feel like he’s getting overwhelmed by the consistency of the rough or the green complexes.

Potgieter is playing excellent golf, but there is still room for improvement after a couple of misplaced shots and poorly read putts. At his current position of T11, he should probably be closer to +125 in the top-10 market. If you check DraftKings Sportsbook, you can find Aldrich Potgieter Top 10 at +325. It’s not the home run price we had pre-tournament, but all signs point to him continuing his success, climbing the leaderboard, and cashing a nice +325 ticket.

Jake Knapp, Top 20 (-125 DraftKings)

It feels like in this column I’m only targeting first timers at The Genesis, but the group I’m after and the prices attached make a ton of sense.

Jake Knapp (+15000) may have been the unluckiest debutant in Round 1 based on the conditions he had to play in. He was out in the worst of the wind and the heaviest rain, and his driver never really got going. Even after play resumed, he couldn’t find a rhythm and shot 2-over 72.

In that opening round, Knapp lost 2.74 strokes tee to green, which has been uncommon given how he’s started the season. The biggest issue came off the tee, where he lost 2.02 strokes and looked like someone playing Riviera for the first time. There were several shots from out of position, where he struggled to advance the ball or was forced to take on difficult angles.

It looked like he settled in during Round 2. He wasn’t spectacular off the tee, hitting just eight of 14 fairways, but he was roughly neutral in strokes gained. Where he really sparked was on the putting surface, something we’ve seen from Knapp this season. He also gained 2.93 strokes on approach, resulting in 1.50 strokes gained from tee-to-green.

There is always a feeling-out process for first-timers at Riviera. If he flipped the switch this early and is ready to continue playing well, there’s no reason he can’t replicate the 6-under 65 he posted in Round 2.

Some may be waiting for the floor to fall out from under Knapp’s game, but I’m not sure it’s coming. He hasn’t finished worse than T11 through four tournaments this season. In those four events, he’s gained strokes tee to green in each start and gained strokes putting in three of them. I already have exposure to Knapp this week and have no issue doubling down after what I saw in Round 2. He could have packed it in after Thursday, but instead he grinded out a strong round, made the cut, and put himself firmly in contention heading into the weekend.