Luke Donald of England shot 5-under-par 66 to tie Branden Grace of South Africa for the first-round lead in the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Club at Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The 38-year-old Donald (pictured), who is 31-under on his last four rounds on the course along Calibogue Sound with the iconic candy-striped lighthouse behind the 18th green, carded three bogeys on each nine and made his lone bogey at No. 8.
“I feel like I’ve got a few good years ahead of me,” said Donald, formerly ranked No. 1 but who did not qualify for the Masters last week for the first time since 2004. “I don’t want to be sitting at home watching the majors on TV yet. … Quite frankly, it makes my blood boil.
” … I have some good memories and good mojo here. It’s nice to continue that with a solid round today.”
Grace, who has won a total of 10 times on the European and Sunshine tours, was a bogey-free 6-under until making his lone bogey at No. 16, where he missed an eight-foot putt for par.
Top-ranked Jason Day of Australia was tied for the lead until hitting his approach shot into an unplayable lie in the greenside bunker at No. 18, where he made his only bogey, and posted a 67 that left him tied for third with Matt Kuchar, the 2014 Heritage champion, David Lingmerth of Sweden and Tony Finau.
Charley Hoffman of Poway birdied four of the first seven holes en route to a 68 and was tied for seventh with Kevin Chappell of Fresno and UCLA, Spencer Levin of Elk Grove, Fabian Gomez of Argentina, Si Woo Kim of South Africa, George McNeill, Johnson Wagner and Scott Pinckney.
Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis, the 2015 NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion who was low amateur in a tie for 21st at the Masters, shot 70 in his first round as a professional and was tied for 25th.
