Rory McIlroy said eliminating errors was the key after ending his second round at the Genesis Invitational one shot behind leaders Jacob Bridgeman and Marco Penge.

McIlroy shot a six-under round of 65 on Friday, recording his second straight bogey-free day at the event as he mixed in four birdies and an eagle at the 11th. 

The 2025 Masters champion finished 14th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week, having tumbled out of contention following a nightmare triple-bogey in the third round.

Before that, he was tied for third at the Dubai Invitational, having slipped out of the lead after finding the water four times in a chaotic second round.

As he seeks his first title at the Riviera Country Club, McIlroy knows playing mistake-free golf is the key.

He quipped: "There's no Pacific Ocean to hit into around this golf course, so that helps! 

"I still hit some loose shots, but the course setup 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."

Rory McIlroy ranks ninth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee @TheGenesisInv, well up from 48th last week @ATTProAm.

And he's one off the lead into Saturday at Riviera. pic.twitter.com/nd17cB4AdV

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 21, 2026

Both Bridgeman and Penge posted seven-under rounds of 64 on Saturday, with the latter registering five birdies in his final seven holes. Both are chasing their first-ever title on the PGA Tour.

Further down the leaderboard, world number one Scottie Scheffler looked to be in danger of missing the cut with 10 holes remaining, as he sat at four-over for the tournament.

But he ensured he will be in action across the weekend after four birdies – including a stretch of three in a row – got him back to par.

"I started the day not where I wanted to," Scheffler said. "But yeah, I battled and it looks like I get another couple of rounds to see what I can do."