Simpson fires 65 for one-stroke lead in Heritage
Webb Simpson spent two days at Harbour Town watching bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau swing out of his shoes and realized his own brand of golf works just fine.
They traded birdies Friday morning in the RBC Heritage until Simpson got the last word with a 6-footer on his final hole for a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead over DeChambeau (64) and Corey Conners (63).
DeChambeau made six birdies on his final nine holes, missing a 5-footer on No. 9.
“It’s very satisfying knowing I’m not near as long as some of these guys and I’m able to kind of use my skills of distance control and shot shape to pick me back up when I’m 40 yards or 30 yards behind these guys,” Simpson said.
“I would like to hit it further,” he said. “I set out on a journey three years ago to get stronger, hit it further, but do it a lot slower than Bryson. But he’s made it look easy and seamless.”
Simpson was at 12-under 130, and scoring remained bunched. Thunderstorms rolled through the island late in the afternoon and halted play. Matt Fitzpatrick was at 9 under with three holes to play.
Rory McIlroy made sure he was still in the game. He ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn and finished with a 66 to make the cut with one shot to spare, though he remained seven shots behind.
The two players right behind in the world ranking, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas, did enough to make the cut on the number.
Five-time PGA Tour winner Nick Watney tested positive for coronavirus, the first player with a confirmed infection since golf resumed a full schedule last week. Watney immediately withdrew from the tournament and must self-isolate for at least 10 days under the PGA Tour’s protocols.
“I was a little shocked, to be honest,” said Vaughn Taylor, who played with Watney in the opening round and went for testing immediately after his 69. “Heart started racing.”