Matt Fitzpatrick leads RBC Heritage after a bogey-free 63

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Matt Fitzpatrick is back at his happy place, the Low Country resort that his family visited as a kid for vacations from England. Fitzpatrick, who won the 2023 RBC Heritage, torched Harbour Town Golf Links to the tune of a bogey-free 8-under 63 on Friday to race in front at the PGA Tour signature event.

Fitzpatrick birdied three holes in a row on each nine, including a wild birdie at the par-3 14th when his 8-iron sailed left, hit a tree and ricocheted back into play and on the fringe of the green. He proceeded to make the 33-foot putt for an improbable deuce.

“You need those in golf,” he said. “It's not always going to go your way for 72 holes. Nice to get the break and then nice to take advantage of it.”

Fitzpatrick won last month at the Valspar Championship, but his putter let him down last week at the Masters, where he finished T-18. For the season, he ranks 94th in Strokes Gained: Putting, but after a chat and some work on the practice green with his putting coach Phil Kenyon, he found his touch and ranks third in the field of 82 this week.

"I was frustrated and disappointed,” Fitzpatrick said, “and felt like we needed to really look into things and have a thought about what's going to be different this week. Is it technically? Is it reading? We touched on a few things and just feel like it's given me a little bit more freedom, more than anything.”

Apr 17, 2026; Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA; Matt Fitzpatrick eyes his line on 18 green during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Fitzpatrick is playing this week with a Harbour Town Golf Links headcover shaped like the iconic red-and-white striped lighthouse standing sentinel behind the 18th green. “The club gives him a new one every year,” said Fitzpatrick’s father, Russ.