Matt Fitzpatrick shot an 8-under 63 on Friday at the RBC Heritage, then walked off Harbour Town with a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland after two rounds. Scottie Scheffler, playing alongside Fitzpatrick, did his part too, posting a bogey-free 67 while hitting all 14 fairways.
Fitzpatrick stood at 14-under 128, with Hovland one back after a 65. Harris English was three shots behind after a 68, while Patrick Cantlay and Sepp Straka were four back after rounds of 64 and 67. Ludvig Åberg shot 71 and was four behind as well, and Robert MacIntyre sat six back after a 68 in the 82-man field.
The round came on a blistering day at Harbour Town, where strong wind made scoring tougher for players in the afternoon. Fitzpatrick said he was helped by luck on the par-3 14th, where a fortunate bounce set up birdie, and he added that sometimes a week needs that kind of break. He also had 8 birdies, and one of them came on a 30-footer that sparked his charge.
That sort of bounce matters in a place where the margins are thin. Fitzpatrick, who won the RBC Heritage in a playoff over Jordan Spieth in 2023, has shown he can handle the course’s pressure, but Friday also showed how quickly the field can bunch behind him when the wind picks up and the scorecard starts to harden.
Scheffler’s 67 left him seven shots behind the lead, even after a day when he never missed a fairway. Hovland said he did not stripe it all day, but kept the ball in front of him, which is often enough at Harbour Town. The question now is whether Fitzpatrick can turn a one-shot edge into another win with a pack of proven players still within reach.
