Matt Fitzpatrick surged to the top of the RBC Heritage leaderboard with a flawless second-round 63 at Harbor Town Golf Links, establishing a one-shot advantage over Viktor Hovland heading into Saturday's third round.
The bogey-free performance tied Fitzpatrick's career-low 18-hole score and helped him reach 14-under par through 36 holes. His two-round total of 128 represents the lowest 36-hole score of his PGA Tour career, improving on his previous best of 131.
Fitzpatrick now holds his third 36-hole lead on Tour, though he faces the challenge of converting after failing to win his previous two opportunities. The Englishman finished seventh at the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions and tied for fourth at the 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational despite holding early advantages.
Viktor Hovland sits one shot back at 13-under after rounds of 64 and 65. The Norwegian recorded the best 36-hole score of his PGA Tour career with 129 in his 140th start. Hovland finds himself in the top three after two rounds for the first time since the 2025 U.S. Open, where he finished third.
A three-way tie for fourth at 9-under includes Patrick Cantlay, Sepp Straka, and first-round leader Ludvig Åberg. Cantlay bounced back from an opening 69 with a second-round 64, continuing his strong history at Harbor Town where he has recorded scores in the 60s in 24 of 32 career rounds.
"Yeah, I definitely think we got a good break. The first 10 holes we played in rain off and on. That was probably the hardest part about it," said Straka, who ranks third in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and sixth in Strokes Gained: Putting through two rounds.
Straka owns two top-five finishes in six career RBC Heritage starts and expressed confidence in his putting performance. "Yeah, for sure. I don't think I can putt much better than I did today or hit my wedges much closer than I did today. So can't imagine that would continue, so definitely going to need to find some fairways out there," he said.
Åberg, who opened with a course-record-tying 63, struggled in his second round with a 1-under 70. The rising star recorded four birdies but gave back three shots with bogeys on the back nine. Despite the setback, he remains in contention and sits inside the top five after 36 holes for the fourth time in his last five starts.
Defending champion Justin Thomas, who won last year's edition, reflected on his improved performance this week. "Literally everything. Actually, I don't know. My bunker game and my chipping last week was pretty ridiculous for someone who shot 14 over par. But yeah, literally every single thing you could imagine I did quite a bit better," Thomas said.
The weather forecast calls for mostly sunny conditions with temperatures ranging from 68 to 84 degrees and light winds of 5-7 mph. These favorable conditions could lead to more low scoring on the Pete Dye-designed Harbor Town layout.
Saturday's third round will determine whether Fitzpatrick can maintain his lead or if the talented field will close the gap. With $20 million in prize money and 700 FedEx Cup points to the winner, the stakes remain high as the tournament enters its crucial weekend phase.