Matt Kuchar posted a bogey-free 5-under par 66 in brisk morning rounds and tied for the lead with Scott Langley and William McGirt after one round of the RBC Heritage on the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C.
Kuchar, who has had chances to win each of the last three tournaments on the PGA Tour before fading in the final round–including in the Masters–got up-and-down from the sand for a terrific par save on the difficult final hole.
“You have a couple of days to unwind after a major, and then Thursday starts and then you’ve got a chance to play another PGA Tour event,” said Kooch, who last year captured the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Memorial to give him six victories in his career. “It’s pretty easy to get excited for this.
“I hit my hybrid as good as I could (on the 18th hole). I couldn’t imagine trying to hit 3‑wood in there, but it nearly was a 3‑wood in for me. To make par on 18 was a great score.”
Langley, who won the 2010 NCAA individual title while playing for Illinois but is winless as a pro, held a one-stroke lead until the final hole, where he hit his approach shot into the hazard next to the green and made his second bogey of the round.
McGirt, whose best result on the PGA Tour was a tie for second last year in the RBC Canadian open, holed a bunker shot for his sixth birdie of the day at No. 17 before saving par with a five-foot putt on the final hole after again hitting into a greenside bunker.
Harris English, who has won twice on the PGA Tour, posted five birdies and saved par from the hazard on the final hole with a four-foot put that closed out a 68, leaving him two shots back in fourth.
Jordan Spieth, coming off his tie for second in the Masters, holed an 11-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole and saved par with a four-foot putt on the final hole to shoot 69 and was tied for fifth with 14 players.
Defending champion Graeme McDowell shot 71 and was tied for 34th.
