DeLaet shares midpoint lead in Hilton Head

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. Canadian Graham DeLaet always loved playing at Harbour Town Golf Links, but rarely got the results he thought he should. Until this week.

The Weyburn, Sask., native followed up his career-best 6-under 65 in the first round with a 67 on Friday to share the lead with Luke Donald midway through the RBC Heritage.

Donald also shot 67 to reach 10-under 132, two in front of Ian Poulter and Webb Simpson.

Poulter and Simpson each shot 68.

First-round leader Bud Cauley followed his 63 with a 72 and was in a group of five at 7-under that included former PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner and Sam Saunders, the grandson of golf’s late king, Arnold Palmer. Kevin Kisner had the round’s best score, a 7-under 64, and was among six players four strokes back.

Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, both of Abbotsford, B.C., each shot 66. Taylor was 7-under while Hadwin was 5-under.

There were 74 golfers who made the cut of 1-under par — anyone over par or even was leaving — which was the lowest cutline ever at Harbour Town. Those going home included Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, 2016 Masters champ Danny Willett and Charley Hoffman, who contended at Augusta National last week before falling off the pace.

DeLaet was one over par on his first seven holes of the second round until a birdie on the difficult eighth hole and an eagle on No. 9, a par-4 where he bounced his approach shot into the cup.

DeLaet had never finished better than 14th in six previous trips here and had only twice broken 70 in his last 10 rounds before this week. DeLaet said his top-15 finish a year ago — his first and only — continued to fan his flame for Harbour Town, “and my love and enjoyment of playing this golf course turned into, ‘Maybe I could play well here,’” he said.