Matt Fitzpatrick Leads RBC Heritage by One Shot

Matt Fitzpatrick seized a one-shot lead at the RBC Heritage on Friday, carding a bogey-free 8-under-par 63 in the second round at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The 31-year-old Englishman, a 2022 U.S. Open champion and the 2023 winner of this event, stands at 14 under for the tournament after opening with a 65, positioning him firmly in control heading into the weekend rounds.

Fitzpatrick's round featured eight birdies, highlighted by a remarkable sequence on the par-3 14th hole. His tee shot veered left toward trees and sand, but it struck the edge of a cart path and ricocheted back down a slope onto the green. As the ball appeared headed for the water hazard, it slowed after hitting a sprinkler head, stopping just short of disaster. From there, Fitzpatrick drained a 30-foot birdie putt, a moment he later described as pivotal. "Yeah, it was lucky, there's no two ways about it," he said. "Sometimes you need that in a week, so it's nice to get, and then even nicer to take advantage of it." He added two more birdies in the next three holes to pull ahead.

Norway's Viktor Hovland trails by one stroke after a 65 in tougher afternoon conditions, when...