After scoring his second consecutive 6-under 65 on Friday, Jimmy Walker felt like he was back to his usual self, and Masters winner Jon Rahm was also in the same state midway into the RBC Heritage tournament.
Walker finished three rounds in a row at Harbour Town in two days at 12-under par, three shots better than Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose, and Xander Schauffele.
Rahm, who last week at Augusta National won the second major title of his career and fourth PGA TOUR victory of the year, bounced back on Thursday from his opening 1-over 72 with a score of 64 to get to 6-under. Although he still has work to do, the world number one’s chance of earning another win appears much better than it did after the first round.
Walker will make an effort to continue his great play, something he has struggled with since leaving the game while waging a protracted battle against Lyme disease.
“I haven’t really been able to put together two strong rounds here.” Walker, who has dropped out of eight of his last 12 competitions, remarked.
Seven of the top 10 players in the world will be playing for a share of a $20 million payout at the TOUR’s sixth designated event of the season, so he’ll be doing it against a very strong opposition.
To get to 9-under, Scheffler, the No. 2 player in the world, shot 65, Schauffele shot 66, and Rose shot 67. Rose made his 400th TOUR start in the competition, Schauffele made his 150th, and Scheffler made his 100th.
Another shot back was made by Patrick Cantlay, who last year at Harbour Town lost to Jordan Spieth in a playoff. Cantlay shot a 65-hole round, including a hole-in-one.
Patrick Cantlay was placed in a group of four after Jordan Spieth defeated him in a playoff at Harbour Town the previous year. Cantlay had a score of 65 that includes his third hole-in-one on the PGA Tour.
Tommy Fleetwood with a score of 65, Mark Hubbard with a score of 66, Aaron Rai, the first-round leader with a score of 71, and Viktor Hovland with a score of 70 were all at 8-under par.
Spieth, who had a score of 67, and 2014 winner Matt Kuchar, who had a score of 67 as well, were among an eight-player group at 7-under.
Walker has six TOUR victories to his credit, the most recent being in 2016 at the PGA Championship, his only major victory and the pinnacle of his ascent to the top of the American golfing hierarchy. He went on a hunting expedition in south Texas that fall and became unwell as a result. The next spring, he received a Lyme disease diagnosis, and he spent years battling its symptoms. He wasn’t certain he would ever return when he left the TOUR last year.
Walker, though, received a one-time exemption to play on the TOUR this year due to his ranking among the top 50 all-time money winners.
Walker wasn’t sure if returning was the best course of action, but with the backing of his family, he made the choice. Although it hasn’t been easy for him to return, things have gone differently in Hilton Head so far.
Walker has so far maintained his ball in play close to trees despite not being the straightest of drivers and has hit enough putts to move in ahead.
On Friday, he made seven birdies, all from distances of at least 7 feet. The most unexpected one was when he made a putt of about 50 feet from off the green on the 14th par-3.
Walker hopes he can call on what’s worked so far on the weekend. The most difficult part, he said, is the inconsistency of how he feels.
“The hardest thing about being sick is that my emotional and physical health feels different every day,” he said.
Walker is yet willing to compete in a top-notch competition since he has never backed off when in the hunt.
I’ve never been worried about competing in a golf competition.
And neither has Rahm, who despite his Master’s fatigue honored the commitment he and other top players made to play in the TOUR’s new designated events. He has a chance to win this tournament to go along with his most recent championship.
Rahm displayed his top-of-the-world form early on with a round that had seven birdies without a bogey. He began on the back nine and made four consecutive birdies beginning at the eleventh hole. On the fourteenth par 3, he rolled in a 33-footer.
It will take a lot of work ahead to chase down Walker, but Rahm believes he can be a factor in the end.
