Sweden's Ludvig Åberg has taken the lead at the RBC Heritage after a stunning opening round, while Robert MacIntyre made a strong recovery following a tumultuous week at The Masters. Åberg produced a bogey-free 63 to claim a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland and Harris English. MacIntyre, meanwhile, put his Masters controversy behind him to shoot five under, leaving him three shots off the pace.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler recovered from a shaky start to finish three under, while Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood struggled to find their footing. Åberg credited his impressive irons and approach play for his success, saying, 'I felt like the highlight for me was definitely my irons and my approach play. I felt like that was really positive.' MacIntyre, who was spotted making an obscene gesture at Augusta National, reflected on the challenge of controlling his emotions, stating, 'I'm trying my best to control the emotions.
I work with someone back home. And yeah, there was a lot going on, and I'm disappointed with that, but I'm very good at putting things behind me.'