PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Sahith Theegala made the Genesis Open cut with impressive ease given that he’s making his PGA Tour debut.

Armed with two more rounds at Riviera Country Club after a 67-73 start, the real fun begins for the 19-year-old Pepperdine sophomore who is eying the U.S. Amateur here six months from now.

Theegala’s play on the tougher end of the draw set him up for a third- and fourth-round pairing with Phil Mickelson and J.B. Holmes. But as a quarterfinalist at last year’s U.S. Amateur, Theegala already has earned a spot in this year’s U.S. Amateur and can soak up more good Riviera vibes.

“It’s extremely exciting to know that I have two more competitive rounds out here in tournament conditions,” said Golfweek’s 38th-ranked college player. “Not many people in the U.S. Amateur will be able to say they have that. And since our team plays Bel-Air (host of the other stroke-play round), I’m definitely going to have a great mindset going into that.”

Paired with Wesley Bryan and Kelly Kraft, last week’s second-place finisher at Pebble Beach, Theegala attacked Riviera with an aggressive approach that has often been the downfall of first-timers here. A largely self-taught player, Theegala analyzed some ShotLink scatter charts from last year’s tournament to better understand key places to leave approach shots. His combination of on-course artistry and off-course analytics appears to be serving Theegala well.

“You can tell he’s not super technical about anything,” said Bryan who is at 4 under after 36 holes. “He’s just out there hitting shots. It’s refreshing to see that since usually the kids you see today are technicians.”

Though he hasn’t attended the Genesis Open in a long time due to school and tournament commitments, Theegala had enough familiarity with the course and no shortage of good vibes coming from others. A strong and sometimes boisterous support group has included his father Murli, mother Karuna and high school golf coach Jason Tuck, a last-minute choice to caddie because his Pepperdine coaches are forbidden by NCAA rules from looping.

“He’s got a good support system here keeping him pumped up,” said Bryan, who met Theegala on Wednesday night at a College Golf Fellowship dinner. “So hopefully he can get it rolling again.”

The 2016 West Coast Conference freshman of the year’s scoring average last season was two strokes better than the previous best by any Pepperdine freshman. Pepperdine coach Michael Beard said Theegala’s upward trajectory comes simply from a pure love of playing and improving his game. His swing is unconventional, yet the Chino Hills, Calif. native generates incredible power, best exemplified by a 4-iron over the 238-yard par-3 fourth green in some of the worst winds of the week.

Beard recruited Theegala out of Diamond Bar (Calif.) High and was asked several times by other coaches if he “really wanted to watch that action for four years.” The son of PGA Tour winner Frank Beard, Michael laughs at the notion given the number of players with unconventional golf swings who have gone on to great success. The coach is also enjoying Pepperdine’s strongest team in years anchored by Theegala.

Along with assistant coach Armen Kirakossian, Beard has been providing full support since Monday when Theegala qualified in the Genesis Open Collegiate Showcase. The Pepperdine coaches face an interesting dilemma now that their top player will get in four rounds at Riviera: do they include Theegala on the team lineup card for The Prestige, a 13-team college event starting Monday at PGA West? A possible Monday finish at Riviera could complicate matters, but in that case Beard sounds ready to play with four players and allow Theegala to join the team for the final two rounds.

First things first though: Theegala is going to fine tune his driver for third-round play and soak up the fun of playing Riviera in one of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious events.

“I have nothing to lose, I’m just out there having a blast, trying to play good golf,” he said.