Justin Thomas led the RBC Heritage with a 10-under 61 round that matched the perfect weather on Thursday at Harbour Town Golf Links, where he tied the course record with 11 birdies.
His finest shot of the day was an 8-iron that nestled five feet away from the pin and dropped close to it. Among the rare times he failed to convert was when he missed that birdie putt.
On a day when there was almost no wind, the RBC Heritage was the perfect location to unwind after a busy week at the Masters Tournament because of the immaculate course and bright weather.
In a round of 64 that appeared to be simple ; not that it felt that way ; defending champion Scottie Scheffler, fresh off a tie for 4th place at the Masters, had virtually little tension at Harbour Town.
“I will never, ever claim that golf is simple. Golf is challenging.” Scheffler said with a laugh.
However, he only got out of position once off the tee and once when he went long of a green, and he salvaged par both times. As a result of Thomas having the lowest score at Harbour Town in a decade, he putted for birdie or better on the last 16 holes and converted enough opportunities for a start that just appeared promising.
Russell Henley, the winner of the Mastercard, also scored 64 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, while Wyndham Clark came in second with 65. Former Hilton Head champion Matt Fitzpatrick and Gary Woodland, recovering from brain surgery and gaining momentum after finishing second in Houston, were among the group at 66.
On a course with an average score of 69.2, half of the 72-player field broke par.
“I felt like if you compared my four rounds last week to today, this would be a much less stressful round of golf in terms of scrambling for a par. A lot of the stuff I had to do last week, I felt like I didn’t have to do today to shoot a good score. I spent the majority of today in position, but the golf course is obviously a little different.” Scheffler said.
“All in all, I would say it was a stress-free day.”
Although his game has been moving in the right direction and he is currently ranked No. 8 in the world, Thomas has not won since winning his second PGA Championship title in 2022. The Masters was a letdown; he finished no round lower than 70 and was 13 shots behind in a tie for 36th place, but he worked hard for 2 days at Hilton Head and it paid off.
Six of his birdie putts were inside 10 feet, and he tossed in three birdies from the 35-foot area, one of them on the 17th hole that placed him in sight of the course record.
On the 18th, which runs along the Calibogue Sound, he felt he had it with his 8-iron to a front pin, but he missed the putt. On the tenth, he also missed a 4-foot par putt.
“I’ve been playing solidly and pretty well lately. It was a pleasant feeling. Last week, I simply didn’t play well. I felt ready because I had done some really solid work in the days before today’s start. It was pleasant to go out and do it; that was all there was to it.” Thomas said.
Even before the Masters began, Rory McIlroy, the winner, made the decision to forgo this prestigious event. With its tight, tree-lined angles, Hilton Head was not a course he felt was right for him.
Thomas had a different opinion.
“I adore it. I wish we had performed there more often. I believe that more architects ought to create spaces like this. I believe it kind of holds up over time. It will be everything we want by the end of the week, especially if the weather keeps up this way and the fairways go hard—the greens are already becoming firm.” Thomas said.
At the beginning of the week, he had everything he could have hoped for, except for that birdie putt on the 18th.
