Troy Merritt tied the course record with a bogey-free 10-under-par 61 to take a four-stroke lead over defending champion Matt Kuchar and John Merrick midway through the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The 29-year-old Merritt, whose only pro victory came in the 2009 Mexico Open on what now is the Web.com Tour, birdied nine of the last 12 holes to tie the mark set by David Frost of South Africa in 1994.
His 36-hole total of 69-61–130 was one stroke off the tournament record of 129 set by Jack Nicklaus in 1975 and equaled by Phil Mickelson in 2002.
“It is pretty cool, but I’ll go ahead and say it was the (second-) lowest through 36 holes, (behind) Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson,” said Merritt, whose best finish on the PGA Tour was second in the FedEx St. Jude Classic. “They won’t mention that I shot 130, which is fine.
“I didn’t know that the course record was 61. … Had I known that, I might have started to hit some shanks or trying to hole some shots. It was just a lot of fun out there, fun to play in front of the fans.”
Kuchar followed his opening 68 with as 66, making his only bogey on the seventh hole as he finished on the front nine, while Merrick, from Long Beach and UCLA, came in with a 65.
First-round co-leader Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland shot 69 and was five shots back in a tie for fourth with Jim Furyk, who carded a 64, and Kevin Kisner, who totaled 67.
Masters champion Jordan Spieth bounced back from an opening 74 with a bogey-free 62 and was six strokes behind in a tie for seventh with Matt Every (70), who shared the first-round lead, Morgan Hoffman (68), Kevin Streelman (65) and Louis Oosthuizen (67) of South Africa.
