Ludvig Aberg (-8) leads the RBC Heritage, the fourth Signature Event of the season on the PGA Tour, after the morning wave of play in the first round. Just behind the Swede, one stroke back, are Viktor Hovland (-7) and Harris English (-7), and by a curious coincidence the three have posted bogey-free rounds at the Harbour Town Golf Links. A feast of birdies and consistency in Hilton Head.
Aberg has been very solid from tee to green and has, moreover, dealt very confidently with the few mistakes he made (finding the right side when he failed to hit the green in regulation). The Swede had completed a good Masters (21st), although probably short of his objective. There, at Augusta National, he paid dearly for a first round of 74, quite the opposite of what has happened this week with a first round of 63 that immediately positions him as a major contender for victory.
Also notable up there are Gary Woodland (-6), winner of the Houston Open, and Michael Brennan (-6), the young American who a year ago was playing the PGA Tour America (winning three tournaments on that circuit and topping the rankings), but at the end of 2025 won the Bank of Utah Championship off an invitation — the third PGA Tour event he played and his first as a professional. This week he is making his debut in the Signature Events and is intent on making some real noise (note: he also made his Masters debut last week and finished a noteworthy 24th).
Cameron Young (PAR) should be followed closely, round by round. He has earned that right as World No. 3, recent winner of THE PLAYERS and a prominent figure at the Masters, among other merits. But his start at Hilton Head has not been exactly electric. The birdie party at the top of the leaderboard didn’t come with him today; he rather looked sluggish, especially on the greens, after being in the marquee Sunday pairing at the Masters, playing alongside the eventual winner, Rory McIlroy. The New Yorker, grey with the putter in his hands, at least won’t face the pressure of a cut tomorrow, since there isn’t one, but he has certainly been left with very little margin for error if he still hopes to finish near the top
