HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay birdied the ultimate 4 holes Friday for a 4-under 67 and take a two-stroke lead over Robert Streb midway via the RBC Heritage.
After dropping again with bogeys on the eleventh and 14th holes, Cantlay turned it round on essentially the most tough stretch at Harbour City Golf Hyperlinks with the late birdie run in robust wind swirling off Calibogue Sound.
Cantlay had a 9-under 133 whole.
Streb additionally had a 67. He seemed to be in place to take the lead into the weekend when he birdied No. 8 — his seventeenth gap of the day — to achieve 7 underneath.
However Cantlay’s correct irons and scorching putter moved him again on prime. The run began with a 13-foot birdie putt on 15. He caught Streb a gap later with a 10-footer. Cantlay caught his tee shot on the par-3 seventeenth inside 8 toes for his go-ahead birdie, then rolled in a 21-footer on the par-4 18th.
“Clearly, that is a dream end,” Cantlay stated. “I lastly rolled in some putts and that was very nice to see going into the weekend.”
Tour rookie Cameron Young went from his eye-popping debut of 63 on Thursday to a 73 in his second time round Harbour City. Nonetheless, it was adequate to tie for third with Joel Dahmen, Cameron Tringale, Erik van Rooyen and Aaron Wise — three photographs behind Cantlay.
Dahmen, Tringale and van Rooyen had 67s to match Cantley and Streb for low spherical of the day. spherical. Clever shot a 68.
Among the many six one other stroke behind at 5 underneath had been three-time main champion Jordan Spieth and previous RBC winner Matt Kuchar. Spieth had a 68, and Kuchar shot 69. In all, it seems like a weekend shootout with 33 gamers inside six photographs of Cantlay.
Cantlay’s regular and aware strategy to golf appears ready-made for Harbour City. He is had two thirds and a seventh in 4 appearances right here and made $878,178.50 — and that is with lacking the minimize a yr in the past.
Cantlay expects extra wind and would not anticipate play a lot otherwise than he is executed to date. “Simply staying with my recreation plan and proceed to go away the golf ball in the best spots, which is paramount round this place, I feel is the important thing,” he stated.
Streb, who final received The RSM Basic in November 2020, has had a horrible expertise at Harbour City, lacking the minimize in 4 of his six profession appearances. His finest exhibiting was a tie for forty fourth in 2015.
“Have not performed implausible round this place, so getting it round within the wind was actually good for me,” he stated.
Younger shot a bogey-free 63 on Thursday in his course debut, the 24-year-old making Pete Dye’s treacherous structure appear like a roadside pitch-and-putt. Younger stored up his stellar play with a birdie on his first gap, the tenth, to achieve 9 underneath. Then he, like so many others earlier than, felt Harbour City’s full fury.
Younger had bogeys on the 14th, fifteenth and 18th holes, then a double bogey on the par-3 fourth. Nonetheless, the rookie is simply one other robust spherical from rivalry for his first tour victory.
“I really feel like I am hitting it actually properly and each probability I’ve to place myself within the fairway, even when it is 20 yards farther again, I feel I will take a number of these probabilities,” Younger stated.
The wind, with gusts of greater than 20 mph a lot of the spherical, had a major impression. After solely seven holes performed over par Thursday, 11 holes did Friday.
A few prime attracts will not be round for the weekend.
South Carolina native and world No. 9 Dustin Johnson went 71-72 to shoot 1 over and fall to 0-10 in PGA Tour occasions he is performed in his house state.
Cameron Smith, tied for third final week at Augusta Nationwide, additionally completed at 1 over to overlook his first minimize for the reason that Sony Open in January. He shot 73-70.
Morgan Hoffmann, in his first PGA Tour occasion since October 2019 because of his muscular dystrophy, got here up a shot in need of the minimize, too, additionally ending at 1 over with rounds of 71 and 72.
