There may have been a major championship last week, but RBC Heritage’s PGA Tour stars kicked off the event with a bang.
A number of players, including Ludwig Oberg, Collin Morikawa, Sahis Segala and Patrick Cantlay, went missing in Hilton Head on Thursday.
However, it was JT Poston who shot the worst round of the day with an 8-under 63, and Morikawa tied for second place with a 6-under 65. Six players, including Oberg, shot 5-under 66s.
Rory McIlolary was close behind, shooting a 4-under 67 along with six others. This Pete’s course was a day-long treat for some of the biggest names in golf.
The top of the leaderboard is stacked after the first 18 holes. 56 players hit shots of even par or better.
There were 267 birdies in Thursday’s round.
Poston led the field with nine players. He also leads in total strokes gained with an average of 6.36.
“I chipped and putted really well,” Poston said. “If I could look at myself, it was one of those days where I felt pretty confident that I could make a putt, whether it was a close putt or a 20-foot, 25-foot putt. I felt it.”
Morikawa bounced back from his blunder at Augusta National. The world saw him shoot two overs and settle for T3 on Sunday. However, he got off to a strong start at Hilton Head with seven birdies and one bogey.
“Once you find this little rhythm and just a path to playing golf, it’s very simple,” Morikawa said. “Sometimes when I’m playing poorly, I look back and wonder why it’s not that simple. I’m feeling really good and I hope I can keep it up for the rest of the week.”
Oberg, on the other hand, brought his momentum from Augusta National in South Carolina. He hit a perfect 2-iron off the tee and scored an eagle on the par-5 fifth.
The former Texas Tech Red Raider refused to let his mistakes from Masters Sunday carry over to Hilton Head.
It was a new start for the young Swedish phenom, who had a near-perfect shot off the tee. He hit 13 of 14 fairways, led the field in strokes gained off the tee, and picked up two shots on the field.
“I thought it was really good from tee to green,” Oberg said. “If you get a good tee shot on this golf course, it makes it a lot easier because you can avoid trees and all the angles. That worked out really well for me today. I can be a little more aggressive towards the greens. But I still can’t force anything. I feel like I did really well today and I hope I can keep it up for the rest of the week.”
The reigning RSM Classic winner played alongside McIlroy, who was four shots behind the leader.
McIlroy started the day with a birdie and made an eagle on the fifth. He missed a shot on the 12th, but recovered to finish the round with back-to-back birdies.
“I made two good swings at the end and was close to hitting it, so I’m glad I hit it three times,” McIlroy said. “I managed my game very well when I wasn’t feeling well in the middle. I feel like I have a good chance to set things right in the tournament tomorrow morning. I could make a few more bogeys around the turn. I did, but I didn’t.”
Rain is likely over the weekend, reducing scoring chances, so the players had better take advantage of the conditions on Friday.
As of now, the RBC Heritage has been a hot tournament as some of the best players in the world are competing.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
