World number one Rory McIlroy is feeling good about his game having moved to within two shots of leader Matt Kuchar at the Genesis Invitational.

The Northern Irishman went one shot better than his opening 68 with six birdies and just two bogeys to edge into third at Riviera.

"I'm managing my game well," McIlroy, who finished third at last month's Farmers Insurance Open on his only other appearance this year, said after his round.

"I've hit a couple loose shots here and there, but I'm thinking my way around the golf course and that's what this place is all about.

"You can hit a few squirrelly shots and get away with it as long as you miss it in the right places, and for the first couple days I've done that.

"I'm feeling pretty good about my game."

The same could not be said of Tiger Woods, who began the day five shots off the lead but finished it nine back after a two-over 73 – his first over-par round of the year – which contained a double-bogey six, three bogeys and three birdies.

"I made some pretty bad mistakes out there with balls in the fairway: one ball in the fairway with wedge in my hand and another one with a sand wedge in my hand and played those two holes in three over. Not very good," said Woods, who will not play in next week's WGC-Mexico Championship after the entry deadline passed without him confirming his attendance.

"You take those away and I'm near the top of the board. So it's not that complicated, I just need to clean it up, but I'm now pretty far back and I have to make a lot of birdies this weekend.

"I just could not get the ball close enough to the hole to give myself good putts, and then when I did, I was in the wrong spots, I was above the hole and had to putt pretty defensively."

Kuchar maintained his spot at the top of the leaderboard after a 69 got him to nine under, two ahead of McIlroy and Harold Varner III.