Golf roundup: Matt Fitzpatrick hits tree, then sprinkler head en route to RBC Heritage lead
TL;DR
Matt Fitzpatrick shot an 8-under 63 to take the lead at the RBC Heritage with a total of 14-under 128. Viktor Hovland is in second place at 13 under after a 65, while last year's champion Justin Thomas is last at 9 over.
Key points
- Matt Fitzpatrick leads RBC Heritage with 14-under 128.
- Viktor Hovland is in second place at 13 under.
- Justin Thomas is in last place at 9 over.
- There is no cut in this tournament.
- The RBC Heritage has a $20 million purse.
Mentioned in this story
Matt Fitzpatrick of England shot a spotless, 8-under 63 to vault into the lead halfway through the RBC Heritage on Friday in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Fitzpatrick climbed to 14-under 128 at Harbour Town Golf Links, while Norway's Viktor Hovland came close to tying him at the end of the day but settled for a 65 and second place at 13 under.
Harris English sits third at 10 under following a 68, and first-round leader Ludvig Aberg of Sweden made three back-nine bogeys on his way to 70, slipping into a tie at 9 under with Patrick Cantlay (64) and Austrian Sepp Straka (67).
There is no 36-hole cut at the post-Masters signature event with a $20 million purse. Justin Thomas, last year's champion, will be grateful to see the weekend as he's fallen to dead last in the 82-man field following rounds of 76 and 75 (9 over).
Matt Fitzpatrick walks up the 16th fairway after his errant second shot during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament.
Fitzpatrick, 31, won the Heritage in 2023 in its first year as a signature event. With the course comfortability came a lucky break at the par-3 14th on Friday.
His tee shot flew far left of the green, but his ball appeared to bounce off a tree and a cart path to come back to the green with some speed. It nearly rolled all the way off into the water, but a sprinkler head helped bring it to a stop. The head allowed Fitzpatrick a free drop for relief, and from just off the green he drilled a 33-foot putt for birdie.
Akshay Bhatia matched Fitzpatrick for the round of the day, shooting 63 and tying a tournament single-round record with 11 birdies. After a poor first round, he moved up to 6 under on the leaderboard.
LIV confirms financing for rest of season
LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil said the league has the financial backing to finish out the 2026 season.
"The reality is you're funded through the season and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going," O'Neil said during Thursday's TNT Sports broadcast of the opening round in Mexico City. "But that's not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of man."
The league's fourth season his eight tournaments remaining – five in the United States – after this week's event in Mexico. Up next is LIV Golf Virginia at Trump National Golf Club from May 7-10.
The Financial Times reported earlier this week that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which has poured more than $5 billion into the league since 2022, was on the brink of shutting off the financial pipeline.
O'Neil responded to that report by assuring staff members that the season would keep going at "full throttle."
O'Neil put a positive spin on the circuit's financial situation during his interview Thursday.
"Given the momentum of this business, we're really excited about where we are and the position where we are," O'Neil said. "… This notion of bringing teams to market, I had two calls this morning. This notion of, 'Do you have to raise money?' Probably. This is business. But if we keep the trajectory going the way we are and the revenue growth going, this is going to be a really good business for a really long time."
Spain's Jon Rahm, one of the players lured away from the PGA Tour and European tour by lucrative contracts and $30 million purses, said he is focusing on golf instead of the swirling rumors about the league's potential demise.
"For me, it didn't make sense to think about it or waste time thinking about ," he said Thursday, per ESPN. "Since everything happened so suddenly and so quickly, I wasn't very worried about it because normally, before the rumors start, we already know something – there's always someone within the league who knows something. It happened so fast that I really didn't worry about it."
France's Victor Perez held a three-shot lead at 9 under after firing a 62 in Thursday's opening round at the Club de Golf Chapultepec in the Mexican capital.
Minjee Lee withdraws at LA Championship
World No. 6 Minjee Lee withdrew from the LA Championship prior to the start of the second round on Friday. No reason was provided by the LPGA Tour.
The 29-year-old Australian star was tied for 40th after she posted a 3-under 69 in the first round at the El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.
Lee has won 11 tournaments on the LPGA Tour, including three majors. Her most recent major title was the Women's PGA Championship last year in Frisco, Texas.
Lee began her 2026 season with top-five finishes at the HSBC Women's World Championship and the Founders Cup before missing the cut at the Aramco Championship earlier this month.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Matt Fitzpatrick leads RBC Heritage with an 8-under 63 in Hilton Head
Q&A
What is Matt Fitzpatrick's score at the RBC Heritage?
Matt Fitzpatrick shot an 8-under 63, bringing his total score to 14-under 128.
Who is in second place at the RBC Heritage?
Viktor Hovland is in second place with a score of 13 under after shooting a 65.
What happened to Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage?
Justin Thomas, last year's champion, is in last place at 9 over after rounds of 76 and 75.
Is there a cut after the first two rounds at the RBC Heritage?
No, there is no 36-hole cut at the RBC Heritage, which features a $20 million purse.
