Justin Thomas fired a sensational 10-under-par 61 to open up a three-shot lead after the first round of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage at Hilton Head in South Carolina on Thursday.
The 31-year-old two-time major champion rattled off 11 birdies with only one bogey on the Harbour Town Golf Links to make a dream start to the US$20 million signature event.
Thomas, who finished tied for 36th place at last weekend’s Masters, revelled in the tight fairways and firm conditions of the links course.
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“I just played really solid,” Thomas said. “I feel like I didn’t do anything crazy; I just drove the ball well and put the ball in a spot that I had a lot of good numbers.
“I didn’t play well last week. Put some really good work in leading into the start today and I felt prepared — it was just about going out and doing it, and it was nice to do so.”
A star-studded field is lurking on Thomas’s shoulder, with defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler tied for second alongside Russell Henley on seven under.
Scheffler, who finished fourth at the Masters on Sunday, three shots adrift of winner Rory McIlroy, reeled off seven birdies in a bogey-free 64.
“I felt like if you compared my four rounds last week to today, today would be a much less stressful round of golf in terms of scrambling for a par,” Scheffler said.
“A lot of the stuff I had to do last week I felt like I didn’t have to do today to shoot a good score…I was in position most of the day today.”
Wyndham Clark is four shots off the lead after carding a six-under-par 65, while five players including England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and in-form Brian Harman, the recently crowned Texas Open champion, are a further shot back on five under.
“I’ve been waiting on some good golf,” Harman said after his 66. “I’ve been playing a lot better than I’ve been scoring, so just going to try and advantage of some good form and see what I can make out of it.”
Another Englishman, Justin Rose, is in a cluster of 11 players tied for 10th on four under.
Rose, who lost to McIlroy in a thrilling playoff finale at the Masters on Saturday, closed with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to stay in touch.
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