Calm before storm on Hilton Head: Lowry leads after tranquil 1st day at RBC Heritage
The wind laid down early, the sun shone and golfers took advantage of a docile Harbour Town Golf Links with harsher weather on the way.
Shane Lowry navigated Harbour Town without a bogey, his 6-under-par 65 good enough to lead after the first round of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. Thunderstorms are expected to roll over Hilton Head Island on Friday afternoon, with the potential to alter scoring conditions and the tournament schedule.
“It’s almost like a little cushion,” Lowry said. “You know the forecast is not going to be great. With my early tee time today, I thought ‘this is my chance to go out and shoot a number.’”
Four players were a shot behind after a 5-under 66. That group includes Luke List, who finished tied for third and a shot out of a playoff in 2018, and a bogey-free round from Ryan Moore.
Another contingent of golfers are piled up at 4 under as players took advantage of favorable conditions while trying to solve the ever-changing breezes in the tall stands of trees at Harbor Town.
“It changes all the time,” said Daniel Berger, who opened with a 5-under 66. “You’re never really sure what’s going on. It reminds me of the (par-3) 12th at Augusta. You think the wind is going one direction and it’s actually going another.”
South Carolina native Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, opened with a 3-under 68. Crowd favorite Jordan Spieth shot an even-par 71 with a birdie on his final hole.
Johnson is in contention his second consecutive year on Hilton Head after a nine-year absence. He made four birdies, with a lone bogey on the par-3 seventh hole.
With three weeks off before the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, this will be Johnson’s only tournament between major championships.
The long-hitting Johnson said he hit seven drivers around the par-71 layout.
“I was in position all day,” he said. ‘I drove it nicely.”
Spieth said he was still adjusting to the green speeds and wind after the Masters last week.
“It is tough out there when the wind is kind of swirling through the trees,” Spieth said. “I haven’t played here in four years, I forgot about that.”
Beaufort resident Mark Anderson, making his seventh RBC Heritage appearance, opened with a 2-over 73. Anderson is coming off an ankle injury that caused him to take a hiatus from the Web.com Tour, where he won an event in February and is the leading money winner after only three events.
Lowry added a new driver before the Masters last week after having tried dozens and credited improved driving for avoiding trouble Thursday. He made birdie on each of the three par-5s after hitting driver.
He shot 78-73 in Augusta to miss the cut and said Thursday is the first time the new club clicked.
“We’ve done a lot of work and I managed to find one I like and feel like I can trust it there,” Lowry said. “So hopefully it keeps going.”
On Friday the wind could blow more than 20 mph, the skies could become angry with predicted thunderstorms and the course of the tournament could shift.
“You kind of go when they tell you to go,” List said. “And if it’s delayed, you just chill. We’ve been doing this a long time. Mother Nature is part of our game so we just kind of take it easy and go when we can.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2019 at 6:33 PM.
