Viktor Hovland sets early pace at RBC Heritage

MIAMI – Viktor Hovland shot a bogey-free, seven-under 64 to take the first-round lead at the RBC Heritage on Thursday on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Hovland started on the back nine at Harbour Town Golf Links, and four of his seven birdies came over his final seven holes, including back-to-back at the par-four eighth and ninth holes to close his round.

Play was suspended due to darkness with six golfers still on the course following an 84-minute delay for inclement weather earlier in the day.

That group included American Jimmy Walker and England’s Aaron Rai, a shot behind Hovland with two and three holes left to play, respectively. Brian Harman was tied with them after shooting a 65.

Norwegian Hovland was tied for seventh at last week’s Masters, where he failed to break 70 after carding a 65 in the opening round.

“Especially last week, I didn’t putt it as good the last three rounds as I did the first round, which obviously is hard to do,” Hovland said.

“I hit it okay, but I didn’t hit it as great as I did the first round. I took a big lesson from not short-siding myself as much last week.

“Because out there on that golf course on some of those pins, I got a little too greedy and I missed it in the wrong spots, and I just can’t allow myself to do that.

“So this week, I’m just trying to play a bit more, not conservatively, but making sure that I hit more greens, centre of the greens, and can kind of lean on my putter.”

American Harman posted six birdies without a bogey for his 65. After coming off a missed cut at the Masters in which he went seven over for the first two rounds, Harman revealed how he put the poor showing behind him.

“I went and I 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.”

Tied for fifth at 66 were Americans Joel Dahmen, Scott Stallings, Zach Johnson, South Korea’s Im Sung-jae and Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose. Dahmen and Johnson went bogey-free – Johnson made three straight birdies late in his round – while Rose recovered from bogeying each of his first two holes by making seven birdies.

Masters champion and Spanish world No. 1 Jon Rahm made three straight bogeys from the sixth hole but salvaged a one-over 72.

“It was what it was,” he said of his round. “It wasn’t anything – nothing was particularly good. Nothing was particularly awful. I would have been happy pretty much with anything under par, but it just wasn’t to be.”

Rahm admitted he was still struggling with fatigue after his emotional Masters win on Sunday.

“It could have been a lot worse, been very ugly. We’ve got it started. Just three days to make it back.” REUTERS, AFP