Thursday’s RBC Heritage results: Here’s who’s on top of leaderboard as the first day ends
7:50 p.m. — Round 1 ends with top-3 drama, Rahm struggles
Sunset marked the end of the first round of RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing’s competitive play, and the top of the leaderboard reflects the depth of this year’s highly anticipated field.
World No. 9 Viktor Hovland remained well positioned as the tournament leader, shooting 7 under par on the day. Other top-ranked pros, like Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Jordan Spieth, are still in the mix as well.
A Lowcountry local and the emergence of dark horses late in the day overcame some of the PGA Tour’s most high-profile names, however. Savannah native Brian Harman finished the morning slate hot, golfing 6 under par and, for a brief few minutes, sitting at the No. 1 spot. Hovland overtook him minutes after Harman left the course.
Harman remained the solo runner-up for much of the first round, but evening surges from Jimmy Walker and Aaron Rai led to a three-way tie for second by the end of the day.
As of 8 p.m., Rai and Walker were still golfing their first rounds and reached Holes 15 and 16, respectively. Play was suspended due to darkness at 7:50 p.m. and will resume at 8 a.m. Friday. Round 2 is still expected to begin on time, according to tournament officials.
Rahm showed signs of a slump coming out of his first Masters victory on Sunday, underperforming at 1 over par. That leaves him in a tie for 93rd place and potentially in danger of missing the cut, barring a strong performance Friday.
At end of play Thursday, the top 10 consisted of:
- 1. Viktor Hovland, -7
- T2. Brian Harman, -6
- T2. Jimmy Walker, -6
- T2. Aaron Rai, -6
- T5. Joel Dahmen, -5
- T5. Scott Stallings, -5
- T5. Matt Fitzpatrick, -5
- T5. Zach Johnson, -5
- T5. Sungjae Im, -5
- T5. Justin Rose, -5
Spieth, last year’s winner of the Heritage Classic, ended the day 5 under par.
The full leaderboard is available at the PGA Tour website.
6 p.m. — Late golfers make run for top spots
The afternoon field at RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing introduced two new golfers to the top 10, but not who spectators might have anticipated.
Fresh off his Masters victory, world No. 1 Jon Rahm has struggled at the first day of Heritage. Rahm sits well outside the top 10, shooting even for the day through 14 holes. He’s currently tied for 73rd.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth is in the thick of a tight race once again. He is 4 under par, just one stroke back from a tie for fourth place.
Dark horses Aaron Rai and Jimmy Walker both made late afternoon surges into the top 10. Walker has played himself into a five-way tie for fourth place at 5 under par. Rai sits even with Savannah native Brian Harman at 6 under par, one stroke back from current leader Viktor Hovland.
Since going pro in 2012, Rai has never won a PGA Tour event. Walker has notched six in his 23-year career.
As of 6 p.m., the top 10 consisted of:
- 1. Viktor Hovland, -7
- T2. Brian Harman, -6
- T2. Aaron Rai, -6
- T4. Joel Dahmen, -5
- T4. Scott Stallings, -5
- T4. Matt Fitzpatrick, -5
- T4. Zach Johnson, -5
- T4. Jimmy Walker, -5
- T9. Xander Schauffele, -4
- T9. Rickie Fowler, -4
4:30 p.m. — Golfers return to the course
Play has resumed at RBC Heritage after rain delayed the tournament for just over an hour.
The top 10 remains unchanged from the morning rounds, with Viktor Hovland atop the standings at seven under par and Brian Harman trailing closely at six under.
World No. 1 Jon Rahm and defending tournament champion Jordan Spieth haven’t yet stood out from the afternoon field. Rahm has shot even through his first six holes. Spieth has outperformed the Masters winner, scoring two under par, also through six holes.
3:38 p.m. — Officials: Play to resume by 4:15 p.m.
Golfers will return to the course by 4:15 p.m., PGA Tour officials said.
Rain moving through the area suspended play at 2:52 p.m. The afternoon groups that teed off around 1 p.m., featuring high-profile names like world No. 1 Jon Rahm and defending Heritage champion Jordan Spieth, have played through rain for most of the day.
Spieth and Rahm have yet to break the top 10 but are climbing the leaderboard, shooting two under par and one under par, respectively. Each has finished five holes.
2:52 p.m. — Rain delays first round of RBC Heritage
Over 100 golfers teed off at Hilton Head’s Harbour Town Golf Links Thursday, but a Lowcountry native was one of the top performers early in RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing’s first round before rain suspended afternoon play.
Savannah’s Brian Harman, currently No. 34 in the PGA Tour’s world standings, stood alone atop the leaderboard at midday. Shooting six under par, Harman pulled away from an earlier tie with Joel Dahmen and sits two strokes ahead of world No. 6 Xander Schauffele.
His reign was cut short minutes after he left the course, however. Norwegian pro and world No. 9 Viktor Hovland had the hot hand in the first round, sinking seven birdies on his way to a seven-under-par score and the No. 1 position at Heritage.
Harman is now in second, one stroke behind Hovland.
About two hours after the afternoon groups teed off, steady rain caused tournament organizers to pull golfers off the course at 2:52 p.m.
The afternoon group features high-profile names like Masters champion Jon Rahm and defending Heritage champion Jordan Spieth. PGA Tour officials said play is expected to resume at 4:15 p.m.
Golf is the only sport the ambidextrous Harman plays left-handed, and his rare lefty swing has already pulled him out of several trouble spots. Harman sent some spectators on Hole 6 scrambling with a drive that landed feet from the ropes. Shooting from the rough, and with tournament attendants holding the ropes down so he could take the shot, he zipped his second stroke 144 yards, skirting past a nearby tree.
The shot landed 20 feet from the hole, and Harman sank the long putt for birdie.
At Hole 15, Harman’s drive sliced right and scattered another group of fans. He salvaged the hole for birdie — and took the top spot for himself — after a 209-yard second stroke and yet another lengthy putt from 16 feet out.
Harman missed the cut last week at the Masters, shooting seven over par in a lackluster performance. He said he stepped away from the course to look after his body, despite frustration over his poor play.
“I went and killed a pig Friday night at my farm, and I killed a turkey Saturday morning,” Harman said. “I didn’t hit any balls until I got here Tuesday morning ... Your temptation after you don’t play well is to overwork. I’ve done it lots and gotten really tired, so it’s just trying to rest up and knowing your game is okay for the week.”
Harman will have to stay hot to overcome Hovland and stave off other competition, as top-10 pros like Schauffele are still in striking distance.
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 12:17 PM.
