The second round of the 2026 RBC Heritage was all about changing conditions. The morning wave was able to attack with little wind while those in the afternoon started to see the teeth of Harbour Town Golf Links as it became gusty and the course firmed up.
No one took better advantage in that morning wave than Matt Fitzpatrick, as the 2023 RBC Heritage winner fired a second round 63 to take the lead into the weekend at 14 under. The pathway to success at Harbour Town is ball-striking and putting, and Fitzpatrick is currently fourth and third in those strokes gained categories, respectively.
His comfort on the greens in the first two rounds has been particularly notable. He said after his second round performance that he recently put some work in with his putting coach that has freed him up some and feels like new greens after Davis Love III’s restoration at Harbour Town has given them a bit more slope and less subtlety, making it easier to pick out a line and commit to it.
For as great as Fitzpatrick has played all week, sometimes it’s the good breaks that can be the difference in winning and losing on the PGA Tour. If Fitzpatrick manages to put on the plaid jacket for the second time on Sunday afternoon, he will likely look back at his birdie on the 14th on Friday as one of the swings that got him there.
After hitting a big hook on the par 3, his ball hit a tree, caromed back across the green and then stopped short of the water after rolling through a sprinkler. He took full advantage of that fantastic break by rolling in a birdie putt from off the green after taking his drop, offering a signal that it just might be the Englishman’s week.
“Felt like the shot I hit wasn’t great but it wasn’t that bad, and then yeah, it’s obviously nice to get those breaks,” Fitzpatrick said after his round. “You need those in golf. It’s not always going to go your way for 72 holes. Nice to get the break and then nice to take advantage of it.”
Despite his efforts to run away and hide, Fitzpatrick still has some serious contenders chasing him into the weekend.
Weekend contenders
2. Viktor Hovland (-13)
3. Harris English (-10)
T4. Ludvig Åberg, Patrick Cantlay, Sepp Straka (-9)
T7. Rickie Fowler, Robert MacIntyre, Si Woo Kim and four others (-8)
T14. Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and three others (-7)
T19. Akshay Bhatia, Russell Henley and six others (-6)
Hovland’s performance on Friday was arguably as impressive as Fitzpatrick’s given he played in the much tougher conditions late in the afternoon. His 65 kept him hot on Fitzpatrick’s heels and ensured he’d play in the final pairing on Saturday as he looks to pick up his first win of 2026. He too has been fantastic on the greens, ranking second in strokes gained putting, and if he can keep that up alongside some continued improvement as a ball-striker on the weekend, he’ll be a serious threat to pick up his first signature event win.
The man leading the field in putting is Harris English, who wasn’t able to score quite as well on Friday, but keeps himself in the mix heading into the weekend. The group at 9 under includes the 18-hole leader, Ludvig Åberg, who found things much more difficult in the afternoon wind on Friday. However, he was able to grind out an under-par round despite not having his best to stay in contention. Straka’s presence is not a huge surprise given his accuracy off the tee and as a ball-striker, and Cantlay continues his solid play of late with a 64 to give himself a shot going into the weekend.
Among those a bit further back are Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa. Scheffler played the first two days with Fitzpatrick and has simply not been able to make enough putts to keep pace, but his ball-striking gains he picked up at the Masters seem to have carried over, which will give him plenty of opportunities to finally breakthrough with a low round this weekend. Morikawa has been incredibly open about the mental struggles he’s had coming back from his back injury, but he keeps playing solid golf in spite of those challenges. Hopefully as he keeps putting solid rounds together, he can start ridding himself of the lingering doubt that his back will hold up.
Early disappointments
T53. Jordan Spieth (-1)
T61. Chris Gotterup (E)
T67. Tommy Fleetwood (+1)
T81. Justin Thomas (+8)
There is no cut this week, so all 82 players will see the weekend, but while everyone will have a tee time on Saturday and Sunday, some big names will not be a factor.
Gotterup got off to such a hot start to the season and hasn’t yet found that form again since leaving the West Coast. He had a solid showing at his first Masters, but hasn’t gotten much of anything going this week at Harbour Town.
Fleetwood entered the season with massive expectations after finally getting that first PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship, but just has not been able to recapture that late season form yet in 2026. That’s continued this week on a course that would seem to be a solid fit for his skillset, and he’s left searching for his A-game.
Spieth and Thomas are recent past champions at this event, and would’ve had high hopes that a friendly course could bring out their best. Unfortunately for Thomas, that has not materialized as he’s looked a bit lost all week and finished the second round in last. Spieth has been better than that, but he opened his second round with a tee shot out of bounds that led to a double bogey that put him in an early deficit he couldn’t fully climb out of. Spieth’s seemed close to that breakthrough all year, but continues to struggle putting full rounds — much less full events — together of really strong play.
Updated RBC Heritage odds, picks
Matt Fitzpatrick (23/20)
Viktor Hovland (31/10)
Scottie Scheffler (12-1)
Ludvig Åberg (15-1)
Patrick Cantlay (18-1)
Harris English (20-1)
Sepp Straka (27-1)
The wind is expected to be up in the afternoon all weekend, which should play into the hands of the beat ball strikers. Fitzpatrick and Hovland have created a cushion and I don’t expect them to fall apart, but if they stall I think English and Scheffler present some value. We saw last week what can happen when Scheffler is hitting it this well and putts start falling, and I think English will remain in the hunt all weekend.
#5
