RBC Heritage Round 1: Justin Thomas Ties the Harbour Town Record With an 11-Birdie 61

Justin Thomas has spent the better part of three years trying to find his way back to the front of a PGA TOUR leaderboard. On Thursday at Harbour Town, he got there in a hurry.

Thomas made 11 birdies and shot a 10-under 61 to take a three-shot lead after the first round of the RBC Heritage. Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion, and Russell Henley are tied for second after 64s. Wyndham Clark is alone in fourth at 6 under, and a five-way tie at 5 under includes Matt Fitzpatrick, Gary Woodland, J.J. Spaun, Brian Harman and Brian Campbell.

Eleven Birdies on a Tight Track

Harbour Town is a second-shot golf course, a narrow, tree-lined layout with tiny greens that usually rewards precision over power. Thomas brought both. He hit 16 greens in regulation, the most in the field, went 5-for-5 scrambling, and gained 2.50 strokes on the greens, according to CBS Sports.

The putter was hot from distance. Thomas made three birdies from around 35 feet, including one at the 7th and another at the 17th that put the course record in play. He also converted six birdie putts from inside 10 feet. The only blemish came at the 10th, where he missed a 4-foot par putt.

"I just drove the ball well, which is very, very important out here," Thomas said, per CBS Sports.

At the 18th, with the lighthouse in the background and the record his alone if he holed it, Thomas hit 8-iron to a front pin and missed the birdie chance from inside 5 feet. He settled for a share.

A Number With History

The 61 ties the Harbour Town course record held by David Frost and Troy Merritt, and it is the lowest opening round in tournament history, per CBS Sports. The AP noted it was the lowest score anyone had posted at Harbour Town in 10 years.

It also fits a pattern. Thomas posted a record-tying round at TPC Sawgrass during THE PLAYERS last month, which made him the first player in 2025 with multiple rounds of 62 or better. Justin Ray of the Twenty First Group counts 14 career rounds of 62 or lower for Thomas, three more than any player in the last four decades and five more than Tiger Woods.

The context matters. Thomas, now No. 8 in the world, has not won since the 2022 PGA Championship. He tied for 36th at the Masters a week ago and never broke 70 there. "I just didn't play well last week," he said, per the AP. Harbour Town has a way of fixing that kind of mood. "I love it. I wish we played more places like it," Thomas said.

Scheffler Quietly Gets Back on Track

If Thomas brought the fireworks, Scheffler brought the vise grip. The world No. 1 shot a bogey-free 64 with seven birdies and led the field with 4.50 strokes gained on approach, per CBS Sports. According to the AP, Scheffler missed the fairway only once and went long of a green only once, saving par both times, and had a birdie putt on the other 16 holes.

After a tie for fourth at Augusta, it was the most comfortable Scheffler has looked in a while. "Definitely a step up from last week," Scheffler said, per CBS Sports. He was careful, with a laugh, not to oversell it: "I will never say that golf is easy, ever. Golf is hard." He did concede the obvious. "Overall, yeah, I would say stress-free day."

Henley matched that 64, and Clark grinded out a 65 while dealing with a sore back.

Stories Up and Down the Board

Woodland's 66 is worth pausing on. He is back from brain surgery and arrived on Hilton Head off a runner-up finish in Houston, and he is right in the mix again. Spaun, Harman, Campbell and Fitzpatrick, a past Heritage champion, all sit five back.

Justin Rose, one week removed from losing a playoff at Augusta, shot 67 and is part of a big group at 4 under alongside Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth and Keegan Bradley. The new Masters champion is not here at all. Rory McIlroy decided before Augusta that he would skip Harbour Town, a course the AP noted he felt did not suit his game.

Perfect Conditions, Plenty of Red

The weather did the field a favor. Thursday was warm and sunny with hardly a breath of wind, and the course was in pristine shape. Fifty of the 72 players broke par, and the scoring average was 69.2, according to the AP. A breeze picked up late, but not enough to change the story.

That kind of day is why Thomas's lead is three shots and not more. Plenty of players went low. Only one went this low.

The Road Ahead

This is a signature event with a $20 million purse and no 36-hole cut, so all 72 players will be around for the weekend no matter what happens Friday. For Thomas, the goal is simple: keep driving it like this and let the putter stay warm. For Scheffler, who sits three back with a game that looks like it has found its way, the chase is just starting.

There is a long way to go at Harbour Town. Thursday, at least, belonged to a player who badly needed one.

Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the PGA TOUR's Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab) has more from Hilton Head.

Sources: PGA TOUR, AP, CBS Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.