RBC Heritage Round 2

Matt Fitzpatrick delivered a clinical performance on Friday, April 17, 2026, carding a bogey-free 8-under-par 63 to take the lead at the halfway point of the RBC Heritage. Fitzpatrick’s primary objective was to leverage his past success at Hilton Head, and he succeeded with a display of pure iron play and a stroke of luck on the 14th hole, where his ball bounced off a tree and a cart path to settle near the pin for a birdie. This moved him to 14-under-par (128) for the tournament, establishing a one-shot advantage. The second round was highlighted by record-setting scoring as Akshay Bhatia matched Fitzpatrick’s 63, firing 11 birdies to set a new tournament single-round record. Viktor Hovland remained in hot pursuit, posting a 6-under 65 to sit alone in second at 13-under-par. Overnight leader Ludvig Åberg faced a more difficult afternoon, dropping three shots on the back nine to finish with a 70, slipping into a tie for fourth at 9-under-par alongside Patrick Cantlay, who charged up the leaderboard with a 64. Meanwhile, defending champion Justin Thomas struggled significantly, falling to the bottom of the field at 9-over-par. As the field moves to the weekend, the leaderboard remains packed, with world number one Scottie Scheffler also lurking within striking distance at 7-under-par.