After two rounds, Donald, DeLaet lead Heritage

No matter the route he takes, Luke Donald always arrives in a familiar place on Hilton Head Island.

He’s back atop the leaderboard at the RBC Heritage, a chip-in birdie on the final hole Friday propelling him to 10-under and into a tie with Graham DeLaet after 36 holes at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Donald’s adventurous round carried him into parts of Pete Dye’s layout previously unknown, led by a wayward driver. But he held it together with a deft short game and grabbed a spot in the final group Saturday by closing with the birdie from off the green.

“It was a little more stressful than I would have liked,” Donald said after a second-round 67. “I struggled off the tee, and this is a tough golf course to struggle off the tee.

“But my short game really bailed me out today.”

The low scoring continued Friday after a record-low average in the opening round. The cut line was 1-under, the first time it has dipped under par at the tournament.

Seventy-four players will play the weekend. None will carry as much expectation as Donald, who has 11 top-3 finishes at Harbour Town, including finishing among the top 3 six of the past eight years.

He has led entering the final round in two of the past three years.

This is DeLaet’s first time leading or sharing a lead in any event after 54 holes.

He said he needed time to recharge before a trip to Hilton Head Island. So far the decision looks sound.

The 35-year-old Canadian missed cuts in his previous two starts and decided to skip the Houston Open, a favorite tour stop he had never missed. Now he shares the RBC Heritage lead in a bid to earn his first PGA Tour victory.

DeLaet and Donald lead by two over a bunched leaderboard. DeLaet said he was mentally fatigued after failing to reach the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open in March.

“I just knew, from a mental standpoint, I needed a couple of weeks at home to recharge,” DeLaet said. “And obviously it was a good idea to do so.”

Ian Poulter, battling to keep his tour status, is two shots back at 8-under. Bud Cauley, searching for his first PGA Tour win after a stellar collegiate career, slipped to 7-under after a 1-over 72 on Friday.

Donald reached 9-under after three consecutive birdies starting on No. 4 and held it together the rest of the way. He played from the 16th fairway after a wayward drive on the par-4 10th and managed to save par.

After a bogey on 11, he responded with a birdie on the next hole.

DeLaet was plodding along at even par Friday before dunking his second shot at the par-4 9th for an eagle. From 107 yards, he tried to land it short for a kick to a back-left pin.

The shot hopped once and dropped in the hole.

DeLaet followed with birdies on two of the next three holes to reach 10-under. Birdie putts the rest of the way didn’t fall.

“But I felt like I just kept giving myself chances,” Delaet said. “And that’s important out here.”

Donald’s drive on the par-5 15th left him in trouble in the trees on the right. After punching out, he managed to fly a hybrid to the green and save par.

Donald credits his strength around Harbour Town’s small greens for his success. Salvaging scores might not be enough for victory under ideal scoring conditions, and Donald headed for the practice range after his round to work with his driver.

“Certainly from past experience, you can’t sit on your laurels and just make pars,” he said.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 9:02 PM with the headline "After two rounds, Donald, DeLaet lead Heritage."