RBC Heritage, Round 2
-14 M. Fitzpatrick (English); -13 V Hovland (Noll); -10 H English (United States); -9 S. Straka (out), L. Aberg (Sweden), P. Cantlay (USA)
Selected: -8 R. McIntyre (Scotland), R. Fowler (USA). -7 S Scheffler (USA), C Morikawa (USA); -5 X Schauffele (USA); -3 S. Lowry (Ire). -1 J. Spieth (USA)
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Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick completed a tough second round at South Carolina’s RBC Heritage with a bogey-free 63 to take a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland.
On a day of sweltering heat and unpredictable winds, the Briton played a perfect round to move to 14 under, helped by some luck on the par-three 14th.
After pulling his tee shot toward a tree, Fitzpatrick’s ball hit the cart path and bounced back onto the green, only to be saved from falling into the water by a well-placed sprinkler head.
He gave it his all and held the ensuing 30-foot putt for an unlikely birdie.
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“Yeah, it was a blessing in disguise. There’s no two ways about it,” Fitzpatrick said. “Sometimes you need it within a week, so it’s nice to have it, but it’s even nicer to be able to take advantage of it.”
The 2023 champion made two more birdies in the final three holes to move into the lead.
Norway’s Hovland remained the closest challenger, although he continued to chase with a nice birdie on the 17th.
“I can’t say I striped today, but at least I felt like I put the ball in front of me, and that’s what I’m trying to do on this golf course,” Hovland said.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler played alongside Fitzpatrick and shot a characteristically disciplined 67. Despite hitting every fairway, the American struggled to convert some birdie opportunities and was only seven shots behind.
Jordan Spieth was one to struggle in the tricky conditions, posting a frustrating 72 with three double bogeys, while Akshay Bhatia shot a 63 with 11 birdies in the round to move up to -6.
