HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC – Viktor Hovland’s 7-under 64 round at the rain-delayed RBC Heritage on Thursday gave him a first-round lead for a second straight week – and trailed Masters champion Jon Rahm by eight shots and still had work to do to to come into the competition after his big win.
Hovland had the lowest of his five career rounds at Harbor Town, the tight, tricky Pete Dye layout.
The Norwegian was one shot ahead of Brian Harman. Jimmy Walker and Aaron Rai were also down by 6 but had not completed their rounds when play was suspended for darkness at 7:50pm. Six players will complete their first rounds on Friday morning.
The group, aged 66, included US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, Justin Rose, Sungjae Im, Scott Stallings and Joel Dahmen.
Rahm, who put on his first green jacket a few days earlier, finished 1 in 72. He acknowledged Augusta National’s fatigue, and it didn’t help that his afternoon included a nearly 90-minute rain delay. He was never comfortable on a course he had only competed on once before.
“I hate to apologize but a couple of the swings towards the end was that my body was tired and surprised me,” said Rahm.
The RBC Heritage is the sixth designated event this year on the PGA Tour, which means an increased budget – from $8 million a year ago to as much as $20 million – and many of the world’s best, like Rahm and Hovland, on the field if they could have otherwise taken a post-Masters hiatus.
Hovland, like Rahm, had only played here in June 2020 when Harbor Town hosted the second event of the tour following its disruption due to COVID-19. But lack of experience didn’t slow him down as he shagged seven of his last 14 holes. Hovland shared the lead in the first round at the Masters, finishing seventh in a tie.
Hovland missed birdie putts within 15 feet on three of his first four holes, but didn’t lose confidence in his shot.
“Instead of freaking out or questioning all the readings you do, that’s not going to fix anything,” he said. “So I just kept trusting the process.”
Rahm was cheered when he hit the first tee and was the focus of cellphone cameras as he made his way through Harbor Town. He quickly revealed that he still hadn’t fully recovered from the Augusta National meat grinder.
His drive on the second par 5 was wide left and he needed two chips to save par. On the fifth, another par 5, Rahm gestured with his hands when his putt didn’t go where he planned. After the mid-round delay, Rahm bogeyed the sixth, seventh and eighth holes.
He received a huge ovation from fans in the stands next to No. 8, but after his tap-in for bogey, Rahm didn’t pause and went straight to the ninth tee before playing partner Jordan Spieth called out. Spieth, the defending champion, shot 68.
Rahm made back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes. But things turned again at No. 16 when his ride landed in a bush in a fallow area. He took a penalty drop and made his fourth bogey of the day.
“I’m hoping tonight is the day I start turning things around again and feeling a little bit better,” Rahm said.
Harman hails from nearby Savannah, Georgia and has played this event for 12 consecutive years. He missed the cut at the Masters, then took the weekend off and didn’t touch a club until arriving at Hilton Head.
“I killed a pig on my farm on Friday night and a turkey on Saturday morning,” Harman said. “I didn’t hit any balls until I got here on Tuesday.”
His hands-off preparation seemed to be working well as he had six no-bogey birdies to tie his lowest career round at Harbor Town.
After a week of PGA Tour and LIV golfers together, it was back to different sides of the world. Dustin Johnson was the most prominent member of the Saudi Arabia-sponsored tour, regularly playing Harbor Town. Johnson is from South Carolina and had an endorsement deal with RBC.
LIV Golf’s next event will be held April 21-23 in Adelaide, Australia.
DIVOTS: Kevin Kisner retired after 79. … Ryan Fox from New Zealand, who plays on the European tour, withdrew due to illness.
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