Former USC golfer has Harbour Town love story. And he’s off to good start at Heritage
Matthew NeSmith has a love story to tell at Harbour Town Golf Links.
He’s still filling in chapters.
The former University of South Carolina golfer and Aiken resident proposed to his now wife in front of the iconic lighthouse after a round of golf two years ago and had been awaiting his return as a PGA Tour rookie. Now he’s off to a hot start at the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing on his favorite golf course.
NeSmith fired a 5-under 66 and was near the top of the leaderboard after Round 1.
After a brief but steady rain mid-morning, the sun returned and the radar cleared. Players took advantage of calmer conditions with low scores early. The stacked field includes many of the world’s top players during the PGA Tour’s second event back after a hiatus due to coronavirus.
NeSmith’s familiarity with the Lowcountry includes a win at the Junior Heritage played at Harbour Town eight years ago and at the Players Amateur in Bluffton in 2015. The Players Am victory earned NeSmith an invitation to the Heritage the following spring, but he passed on the spot to play with his Gamecocks teammates in the SEC Championship.
“He went with his team; it was a pretty easy decision,” NeSmith’s father, Darren NeSmith, said by phone Thursday. “He’s been kind of chomping at the bit waiting to get back into it this year.”
This is NeSmith’s first Heritage start, but he’s felt the pressure down the stretch at Harbour Town Golf Links. As he awaited a proposal to then-girlfriend Abigail during a casual round in 2018, he said began sweating the timing as play backed up on the back nine.
He popped the question on the 18th green — and she said yes.
“Once I got on the green, I kind of don’t remember a whole lot until we were eating dinner,” NeSmith said. “It was a little nerve-racking, to say the least.”
NeSmith’s parents are staying informed on the PGA Tour phone app and through updates on the course from NeSmith’s putting coach, Marcus Potter, as gates are closed to spectators.
With three rounds to play, NeSmith acknowledged there being a lot of golf between him and another victory in the Lowcountry.
Before the coronavirus pandemic upended the season, NeSmith tied for sixth at the Puerto Rico Open and tied for 11th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
With the tour on a break, NeSmith played golf and worked out with Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown at Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken. NeSmith and Brown are paired together during the first and second rounds.
After a tie for 49th last week at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, NeSmith worked this week with Augusta Country Club instructor Gary Cressend. If his swing is in tune, NeSmith’s dad said, Harbour Town is a good fit.
“Matt’s always been a ball striker,” Darren NeSmith said, noting his son was among the leaders in greens hit on the developmental Korn Ferry Tour last year. “When his iron game is on, with the greens being so small out there, that kind of plays into his advantage.”
Click here for current RBC Heritage scores.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 11:02 AM.
