Poulter surges to share of lead at Hilton Head
English star, Hubbard top leaderboard following error-free opening rounds
Mark Hubbard and Ian Poulter posted 7-under-par 64s to share the lead after the first round of the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Thursday.
Both players produced bogey-free rounds in the morning amid ideal scoring conditions at Harbour Town Golf Links, with Poulter making seven birdies.
“Any time you shoot 7-under par around this golf course, it’s obviously a pretty solid day,” said Poulter, a 44-year-old Englishman with three career wins on the PGA Tour. “When I teed off, knowing there was a little bit of rain in the forecast, but the opportunity with no wind, soft conditions, (I got) off to a perfect start. Made three birdies on the front nine, four on the back.
“I feel that I didn’t hit it that well off the tee today. So I need to go straight to the range and address a few leaky right tee shots.”
Hubbard punctuated his round with an eagle on the par-5 second hole — his 11th hole of the day after starting on the back nine. Hubbard had an opportunity to grab the outright lead, but parred his final three holes.
“More than anything, I’m happy with my mental game,” said Hubbard, a 31-year-old from Denver who has three top-10 results this season after graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour.
“I think I’ve grown up and come a long way in the last two years. I definitely have the Korn Ferry Tour to thank for that. I needed to go back down there and kind of figure out my game again and my mental state.”
Seven players are tied for third place at 6-under: Michael Thompson,
Webb Simpson, Brice Garnett, Ryan Palmer, South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli, Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz.
Jordan Spieth is among a group of six players at 5-under that also included Hamilton’s Mackenzie Hughes. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., was at 3-under after a 69, while Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is at 1-under. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., and Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., each sit at 1-under, one shot better than David Hearn of Brantford, Ont.
Spieth began on the back nine and posted a triple bogey on the 12th hole after his wayward drive ricocheted out of bounds. However, he turned in the stretch of the day — and the best of his career — with six consecutive birdies as part of a 7-under 29 on his second nine.
“In the middle of it, I thought, ‘This would be really cool to birdie the last eight,’” said Spieth, who added that was largely taken out of play when he had to play his approach on No. 8 safely due to mud on his ball and water in play. “I knew where I stood. I knew what was going on. But I mean, it doesn’t change the way you play.”
Daniel Berger, coming off a win at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, posted a 4-under 67 on Thursday. That score was matched by Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler and Bryson Dechambeau, among others.
The biggest surprise Thursday was the struggle of top-ranked Rory Mcilroy.
After falling out of contention during the final round last Sunday, the Northern Irishman opened with a 1-over 72 on Thursday. Mcilroy started on the back nine and made his turn in 3-over 38 before rolling in a pair of birdies over his final five holes.
More than anything, I’m happy with my mental game. I think I’ve grown up and come a long way in the last two years.
Having played at Harbour Town only once previously, more than a decade ago, Mcilroy acknowledged there are a few holes he doesn’t recall well, although it’s a shorter course that gives up plenty of birdie opportunities from the fairways.
“I wasn’t particularly comfortable out there,” said Mcilroy, who is tied for 101st. “I played here once before in ’09, and I just can remember not being that comfortable around here then, and it’s still sort of the same. I’m just not comfortable and sort of trying to pick lines and really commit to shots.
“I just wasn’t as committed today as I need to be around here.” NOTES: The winner will earn US$1,278,000 of the $7.1-million purse . ... Defending champion C.T. Pan of Taiwan shot a 3-under 68 on Thursday . ... The RBC Heritage is normally held in mid-april, the week after the Masters, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and wound up taking the week originally slated to feature the U.S. Open, which was pushed back to September as part of next season’s schedule . ... Berger’s streak of 29 rounds with scores of par or better is the longest active run on tour.