At Riviera, a Zalatoris Ace, a Tiger WD and a continuing Cantlay lead

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — There is no disabled list in golf. If you’re injured or ailing, that’s not a team’s problem, that’s your problem. Or in the case of a unique attraction like Tiger Woods, a tournament’s problem.

They don’t bring in a backup from the bench. There is no bench. Just vacant tee times and frequent questions. Just frustrated, worried golfers. And disappointed fans.

This is what happened Friday at Riviera Country Club during the second round of the Genesis Invitational: The top of the leaderboard remained unchanged. Patrick Cantlay, who played his undergraduate golf at UCLA, a couple of miles and a few multi-million dollar residences away from Riviera, shot a 65, and at 3-under 139 for 36 holes, is in front. Tied for second at 134 were Luke List, 69, Jason Day, 69, and Mackenzie Hughes, 65.

The 27-year-old Zalatoris is not that all displeased. He was hurting, literally for a long time, kept going and then, wham.

“Kind of a golfer’s worst nightmare,” he said, “is feeling your back giving out on the driving range at Augusta 30 minutes before your tee time.”

After surgery, Zalatoris, once a Northern Californian who moved to Texas while in high school, did a lot of things — go to Wimbledon and take courses at Wake Forest — except doing what he wanted most,  swinging a club.

He returned to the Hero, Tiger’s little grouping in the Bahamas, came back to the Tour in January and then Friday, another Wham. Of the most positive sort.

Zalatoris made a hole-in-one at the 184-yard 14th, using a 7 iron, and won two Genesis automobiles, one for himself and one for his caddy Joel Stock.

“Lucky to go in,” said Zalatoris. “A nice little bonus.”

Not so little but very nice.

An ace certainly helps any scorecard, and this one enabled Zalatoris to shoot 70 for 136. With half the Genesis still to play, he’s in contention.

Tiger, of course, no longer is in the tournament, and you wonder at his age, with his troubles, how much golf he’ll be able to play as the year goes forward.

Rob McNamara, executive vice president of TGR Ventures, said Woods began to feel ill Thursday night, after playing the first round.

“This morning,” he said Friday, “the symptoms were worse than the night before and he had a little bit of fever. He felt better during the warmup, but when he got out there and started  walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy.”

Jordan Spieth was healthy enough but that didn’t keep him from committing the age-old mistake of signing an incorrect scorecard. Despite the Tours’ well-planned design of avoiding that error by providing scorecards with tear-off strips so the player can match the card of the scorekeeper, Spieth wrote in  3 when he made bogey 4 on the 4th.

At least his back isn’t bothering him, only his arithmetic.