The first round of the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines South Course delivered unexpected U.S. Open-like conditions, with wet, windy, and chilly weather creating the highest single-day scoring average (74.278) of the season.

The challenging conditions forced players to adapt significantly. Jordan Spieth had to hit a wood from 152 yards out, while Collin Morikawa's 5-wood on the par-5 ninth still came up short of the green. Cam Young struggled to a six-over-par 78, Rickie Fowler shot 77, and Spieth carded a 76.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler managed the conditions expertly, shooting a two-under 70 with four birdies on his front nine. He was one of only 13 players to finish under par for the round.

Denny McCarthy leads after Round 1, crediting his success to playing Wednesday's practice round in similar conditions. He finished strong with a birdie-eagle combination, gaining 3.14 strokes putting.

Players embraced the challenge, with Collin Morikawa noting, "Very tough. I love it. It's just a demanding golf course and you've got to hit fairways. You just love to come out to courses like this."

Scheffler echoed these sentiments: "I think it's really fun. On Tour sometimes you always see golf courses in their best conditions typically with the best weather. It's a different test and I like the variety."

The demanding conditions quickly separated contenders from pretenders, as Torrey Pines presented a stern test reminiscent of major championship golf.

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