It was a beautiful Thursday at Harbour Town Golf Links, with relatively calm winds, sunny skies, and firm fairways. Thanks to the favorable conditions, scoring was low across the board, with the field posting an average better than 1.5 strokes under par.

While many players went low, no one took greater advantage of the conditions than first-round leader Ludvig Åberg. He fired a bogey-free 63, carding eight birdies, including two over his final three holes.

That’s how you draw it up 😮‍💨

Not a blemish on the scorecard and a one shot lead for Ludvig Åberg @RBC_Heritage. pic.twitter.com/aYYNGqkwnS

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 16, 2026

“Into the greens for sure, I hit a few of those fairways that are a big advantage to hit them, but other than that I was on the right side all the time, and I hit the right flight into the greens.” – Ludvig Åberg

Åberg’s game has been among the best in the world over the past few months, and that form has carried into this week. He’s tallied 3 top 5’s in 4 starts going back to the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. Thursday’s round marked the lowest of his career at Harbour Town and just the second bogey-free round he’s recorded at the venue. He is seeking his first win this season, after a back-nine 40 saw the Player’s Championship trophy slip from his grasp.

Ludvig Aberg fires a 63 to take the solo lead at 8-under @RBC_Heritage. That +3000 First Round Leader ticket may be the play of the day 👀

📺 PGA TOUR LIVE Betcast presented by @DKSportsbook pic.twitter.com/tJVrfHOCoT

— Golfbet (@Golfbet) April 16, 2026

The morning wave faced a more manageable test, with winds nearly 10 mph lighter than those in the afternoon. Among those that took advantage of the course in the morning wave are Viktor Hovland, Gary Woodland and Harris English. English and Hovland each posted 64s to place them in a tie for 2nd, while Woodland sits just one stroke back following a 6-under 65. Meanwhile, Andrew Novak, Rickie Fowler, and Ryan Fox highlighted the rounds of the day for the afternoon wave, all even with Woodland at 6-under.

SEVEN birdies today for Viktor Hovland (T1)@RBC_Heritage 👀

If you missed his +3400 pre-tournament outright odds, he is now sitting at +550.

📺 PGA TOUR LIVE Betcast presented by @DKSportsbook pic.twitter.com/8d1VbQOfuH

— Golfbet (@Golfbet) April 16, 2026

Novak, a South Carolina native, has shown to be a perfect fit for Harbour Town. Just last year, he shot -17, before ultimately falling to Justin Thomas on the first playoff hole.

Speaking of Justin Thomas.

He opened his title defense with a disappointing 76, a stark contrast to his record-setting 61 in last year’s opening round. He’s making his fifth start this season after undergoing a microdiscectomy on his back in mid November last year. After missing the cut at Bay Hill, he responded by making three consecutive cuts, including a top-10 finish at The Players Championship. It appeared he was trending toward a strong start this week, but his short game was disastrous today. He finished 81st in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 79th in Strokes Gained: Putting. It seems like an impossible hill to climb in defense of his plaid jacket, and sitting 13 shots back, it probably is.

Justin Thomas one of us@ForePlayPod @NoLayingUp pic.twitter.com/yPmEWyWmQC

— Kon Knipple (@KonKnipple) April 16, 2026

He wasn’t the only surprise on Thursday though, as World No. 5 Tommy Fleetwood matched Thomas with a 5-over 76. Just one shot better is breakout star Jacob Bridgeman who only carded one birdie on his way to a 4-over.

The tee sheet flips tomorrow, setting up a compelling second round as Scottie Scheffler (-3) and Matt Fitzpatrick (-6) headline the morning wave at 10:05 a.m. They’ll be joined by a strong group that includes Collin Morikawa (-4), Patrick Cantlay (-2), Xander Schauffele (-2), and Russell Henley (-3). Players in the morning wave look to capitalize on another favorable scoring window and position themselves heading into the weekend.