Denny McCarthy ended a miserable day in a most brilliant manner Thursday at the Genesis Invitational, closing birdie-eagle for a 4-under 68 on a Torrey Pines course in San Diego that more than lived up to its reputation as a beast.

McCarthy had a one-shot lead over Seamus Power and Patrick Rodgers. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who is starting to find his groove after a late start, missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole and was in the group at 70.

The best preparation for McCarthy and a few others was the pro-am. It was cold and wet for that, too, and he knew what to expect.

“I came out with the attitude that I was just going to have fun and try to embrace it as much as I could,” McCarthy said, who is still trying to win for the first time on the PGA Tour.

McCarthy was coming off a bogey on the par-3 16th when he holed a 25-foot birdie putt, and then switched to a 3-wood for his second shot on the par-5 closing hole to a back right pin. The ball rolled up to 7 feet for his eagle putt.

The Genesis Invitational relocated this year from Riviera to the fearsome South course at Torrey Pines because of the LA wildfires that leveled so much of Pacific Palisades.

It was a good choice because it was tournament-ready from having hosted the Farmers Insurance Open three weeks ago. And it has a connection to Tiger Woods, the tournament host, whose eight Torrey Pines victories as a pro include a U.S. Open.

Rory McIlroy, coming off a victory at Pebble Beach two weeks ago, had two birdies and two bogeys in his steady round of even-par 72. Former Cal star Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry and Justin Thomas were in the large group at 73.

NFL

Jets say rodgers won’t be their qb >> The New York Jets announced they told quarterback Aaron Rodgers they are moving on without him next season.

While Rodgers hasn’t said whether he intends to continue playing for a 21st NFL season, the Jets — with new general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn in charge — have officially ruled out a return to New York.

In a joint statement issued by the team, Mougey and Glenn said they met with the 41-year-old quarterback last week and informed him of their plans.

“It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures,” Mougey and Glenn said in the statement. “We want to thank him for the leadership, passion, and dedication he brought to the organization and wish him success moving forward.”

The four-time MVP, who’s the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdown passes in the regular season, has one year of non-guaranteed money left on his contract with the Jets.

New York would absorb a $49 million dead money charge next season unless it designates Rodgers a post-June 1 cut and can spread out that charge over two years.

Saints coach Moore noncommittal on Carr >> New Saints head coach Kellen Moore, who is less than a week removed from winning a Super Bowl as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, takes over a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2020.

For the past two seasons, the Saints quarterback has been Derek Carr, the former Raider is 14-13 as a starter with New Orleans and has two years left on his contract.

Moore was highly complimentary of Carr — against whom he played once in college — but stopped short of guaranteeing he’d be the starting QB in 2025.

“Derek’s a tremendous quarterback in this league,” Moore said. “I have so much respect for him for the journey that he’s been on — a starter in this league, a premier player in this league.”

Men’s hockey

Crosby shines in Canada’s 4 Nations win >> Sidney Crosby got a sellout crowd roaring with a no-look pass to Nathan MacKinnon for a slam dunk power-play goal in the first minute. Then he sent Canada fans home happy by assisting on Mitch Marner’s overtime winner.

Sid’s not a kid anymore, but he showed he’s still got it at 37, getting three assists to beat Sweden 4-3 on Wednesday night in a thrilling opener of the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal. It was just the latest masterclass by Crosby, a two-time Olympic champion.

Tennis

Swiatek reaches Qatar Open semis >> Three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek reached the Qatar Open semifinals by beating Elena Rybakina 6-2, 7-5.

Swiatek will face Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2, for a spot in the final.

Rybakina began the year with a 4-2 advantage head-to-head against Swiatek, but now they are tied.

Ekaterina Alexandrova continued her winning run by eliminating sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. The Russian, who is ranked 26th, defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka earlier this week.

Alexandrova will face Amanda Anisimova, who beat Marta Kostyuk 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance.

Track and field

Ingebrigtsen sets world record in mile >> Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen set a world record in the indoor mile, beating Yared Nuguse’s mark set just five days earlier at the Millrose Games.

The two-time Olympic champion also set the world indoor 1,500 meter record at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF in northern France.

Ingebrigtsen crossed the finish line in 3 minutes, 45.14 seconds, improving on Nuguse’s 3:46.63 in New York.

Ingebrigtsen won gold in the 5,000 meters at the Paris Olympics last summer after winning the 1500 meters at the Tokyo Olympics.