HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Matt Fitzpatrick had one good break and quite a lot of nice golf Friday at RBC Heritage on a day of intense warmth and large numbers, posting an 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland.
Fitzpatrick’s tee shot on the par-3 14th veered sharply to the left, heading towards the sand and bushes, however the shot caught what seemed to be the sting of a cart path, sending the ball again down the slope to the inexperienced and towards the water.
Sprinklers slowed him down simply sufficient to maintain him dry, however he holed the 30-foot gap for an unlikely birdie. Fitzpatrick birdied two of his subsequent three to complete the spherical with out a bogey.
“Yeah, it was a blessing in disguise. There is no two methods about it,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “Typically you want it inside every week, so it’s good to have it, but it surely’s even nicer to have the ability to make the most of it.”
Hovland confronted much more tough situations within the afternoon when the wind picked up. Round Harbor City, the place the bushes are thick, it did not take lengthy for gamers to grow to be indecisive or run into the incorrect gusts of wind.
Hovland obtained the suitable membership at 12 toes from the uncovered par-3 seventeenth for his eighth birdie of the day and a hard-earned 65. That included a birdie on the par-5 fifth with 205 yards left till his third shot, and he finally holed out at 30 toes.
“I can’t say I striped as we speak, however no less than I felt like I put the ball in entrance of me, and that’s what I’m attempting to do on this golf course,” Hovland mentioned.
Fitzpatrick, who gained the RBC Heritage in a playoff in opposition to Jordan Spieth in 2023, shot 14-under 128.
Harris English was hit by an errant wind gust on the eleventh gap, and went from scrambling for par to looking for a approach to escape a sand-choked lie with a double bogey. He overcame that and shot a 68, closing in on a three-shot lead.
Scottie Scheffler, who performed alongside Fitzpatrick, hit all 14 fairways for the fourth time in his profession, together with two on fairways that span the width of Kapalua’s runway, and had a gradual stream of birdie alternatives within the 18-foot vary. He shot a bogey-free 67, placing him 7 behind.
Fitzpatrick and Scheffler each hit the ball effectively sufficient to look like taking part in the cash sport Tuesday, with birdie alternatives on each gap and buying and selling birdies early earlier than the wind picked up.
On the par-4 eighth, Scheffler hit the left nook of the inexperienced effectively sufficient that the ball bounced seven toes to the suitable. Fitzpatrick was on the identical line, closing in on 6 inches, and Scheffler regarded again on the Englishman and smiled.
Nonetheless, it was Fitzpatrick who shortly took the lead with three consecutive birdies on the entrance and three consecutive birdies on the again. His longest par putt was a 4-footer on the ultimate gap.
He mentioned it was a continuation of his good iron play that began when he completed one stroke behind Cameron Younger at The Gamers Championship after which gained the Valspar Championship the next week in Innisbrook.
Patrick Cantlay, who took a giant step ahead with back-to-back bogey-free rounds after opening with a 77 finally week’s Masters, shot a 64 to maneuver inside 4 strokes of Sepp Straka (67) and Ludwig Oberg, who had been closing in on Fitzpatrick till a 71 with three bogeys on the again 9.
Robert McIntyre was additionally within the lead with a three-shot lead, however the wind died down and he could not get his ball to the seventeenth inexperienced, taking two pictures to make double bogey earlier than breaking out of the bunker. This ruined quite a lot of good outcomes, and a bogey on No. 18 dropped him by six to 68.
On today, there have been 20 double bogeys within the 82-player discipline over 11 holes at Harbor City. Spieth made three of them for a 73.
Akshay Bhatia had 11 birdies in a spherical of 63 to offset a double bogey.
“Effectively, like right here at Hilton Head, it obtained more durable on the again 9,” English mentioned. “It is a robust wind. I am unsure which path it is blowing from.”
Fitzpatrick has extra historical past on Hilton Head Island than successful three years in the past. His household typically came visiting on holidays. He suspects his father typed within the phrases “tennis,” “golf,” and “good climate” earlier than leaving. He recalled attending a match and even receiving a golf ball autographed by Boo Weekly. And now the main champion is on the lookout for one other plaid jacket for the winner.
