Click here to read the full article…

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – It’s really no surprise to see Luke Donald playing well at the RBC Heritage. After all, Donald has finished among the top three in seven of the last 10 tournaments at Harbour Town Golf Links. And Thursday’s 70 was his 29th sub-par tally in his last 39 trips around the challenging Pete Dye creation. But Donald left last year’s RBC Heritage in what he called “terribleâ€� pain, the herniated L4 and L5 disks in the 40-year-old’s back contributing to a rare missed cut at the tournament. And Donald didn’t tee it up again on the PGA TOUR until eight months later at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “I just decided after this week I need to get it looked at,â€� Donald said. “I thought if I kept pushing it and pushing it, then it might lead to something worse and go down that surgery kind of case, which I didn’t want to go down.â€� So, the first treatment Donald tried was stem cell therapy with platelet-rich plasma injections.  The stem cells were taken from his hip, spun with blood and injected into his back. He couldn’t hit balls for three months as doctors waited for the treatment to take hold. Only, it didn’t. “It’s meant to kind of help regenerate the disk,â€� Donald said. “… But it didn’t really have much effect — even on the MRI it didn’t really show much of a difference after three months. “So, it was disappointing.â€� Then Donald went to what he calls a “stretching guru.â€� He worked with that therapist for several months but still didn’t experience the kind of relief he wanted. Related: Lowry cards bogey-free 65 | Featured Groups, tee times | Insider: Big week for small ball | Kisner keeps perspective as lifelong friend battles tumor Next up was more traditional physiotherapy that focused on strengthening his core muscles and “creating a little bit of space in that areaâ€� of his back. Four months in, Donald is seeing good results – on and off the golf course. “I’ve done the work now and should be — fingers crossed — in a good place,â€� Donald said.   The RBC Heritage is just Donald’s fourth start of the 2018-19 PGA TOUR season. He is playing on a major medical extension with 15 starts to earn enough FedExCup points to retain full membership. So far, Donald’s results have been a mixed bag. He’s missed the cut in two events but tied for ninth at the Valspar Championship where he shot 4 under for the week. Donald’s fifth and most recent TOUR victory came on that same Copperhead Course in 2012. So maybe this week’s return to Harbour Town will bring similarly strong results for the former world No. 1. “I’ve given myself a lot of opportunities and being up in contention and had a lot of chances to win and had some very high finishes here,â€� said Donald, who was 2 over on the par 5s Thursday but also had five birdies. “I like this course because a lot of the bigger guys are maybe not hitting as many drivers as I am. So, I’m hitting some of the same clubs into these greens and a lot of short irons and it’s a fiddly course, too. You have to really guide your way around it. And I like that like it has some strategy.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – A new putter and a new driver seemed to breathe new life into Shane Lowry’s game on Thursday at the RBC Heritage. The Irishman admittedly had started the year off on a strong note with a win in Abu Dhabi in the season-opener on the European Tour. But he simply hadn’t been able to build on that momentum – on either side of the Atlantic — in the weeks following his third career win. In fact, Lowry hadn’t broken 70 in four stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR since he missed the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am back in February. He was a combined 24 over par in those tournaments and had only made the weekend once. On a blustery morning at Harbour Town Golf Links, though, Lowry was back in control — firing a bogey-free 66 that earned him a one-stroke advantage. “Pretty much my whole game felt good,â€� Lowry said. “… I haven’t had that feeling in a while. So, it’s kind of nice.â€� He only needed to use that putter he put in his bag this week 27 times in the first round. Lowry took advantage of all three par-5s, too, getting up and down at each with birdie putts in the 3-foot range. His other birdie putts ranged from 8 to 19 feet. “It was something I’ve been struggling with — my par-5 scoring hasn’t been very good,â€� Lowry said. “I just played them nicely today. I struggled off the tee quite a bit this year, and I managed to find a new driver that I like. I hit that pretty good. And when you do that on par-5s it always gives yourself a chance.â€� Related: Featured Groups, tee times | Insider: Big week for small ball | Kisner keeps perspective as lifelong friend battles tumor Finding the right driver has been a work in progress for Lowry, who even in that early victory struggled off the tee – hitting just four fairways as he shot a course-record 62 in the first round in Abu Dhabi. Lowry estimated he tried 30 different drivers this year before settling on the Srixon one he first used at the Masters and liked so much that it earned another spot in his bag this week. “We’ve done a lot of work and I managed to find one I like and feel like I can trust it there,â€� Lowry said. “So, hopefully it keeps going. Today was the first day that I hit the ball well off the tee. So even it felt okay last week in Augusta, but today was the first real day.â€� Lowry hit 13 of 14 fairways in the first round and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, scrambling successfully for par on the ones he missed. Not surprisingly, then, he ranked in the top three in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, Tee-to-Green and Around-the-Green. “I’m happy with my golf,â€� Lowry said. “My scores haven’t been great as of late. But I felt like I’ve been playing okay. So maybe this is a reward for the perseverance.â€� Lowry has only played the RBC Heritage once previously, finishing tied for 44th in 2017. But he had some success that week – opening with a 66 before giving all that back with a 75 in the second round and eventually finishing 2 under for the week. “It’s just difficult,â€� Lowry said of the Pete Dye creation. “And if you’re 7- or 8-under going into Sunday, you’re going to have a chance to win the tournament, I think. And that’s kind of the way this course plays. You just need to be as patient as you can. “A couple of years ago I got off to a good start and I maybe tried to force it a little bit. So just try to stay patient the next few days. I enjoyed today. It’s nice to shoot a good score. And it’s my first good score in a few weeks. So just enjoy that and just get out there tomorrow and get after it.â€� Friday figures to be a challenge for everyone but particularly those with afternoon tee times when winds of 20-30 mph, gusting to 40, are expected and severe thunderstorms are possible. “You know the forecast is not going to be great,â€� Lowry said. “Yeah, I’ve seen it and knew this was my chance to go out and shoot a good number.â€� Mission accomplished.

Click here to read the full article…

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – A new putter and a new driver seemed to breathe new life into Shane Lowry’s game on Thursday at the RBC Heritage. The Irishman admittedly had started the year off on a strong note with a win in Abu Dhabi in the season-opener on the European Tour. But he simply hadn’t been able to build on that momentum – on either side of the Atlantic — in the weeks following his third career win. In fact, Lowry hadn’t broken 70 in four stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR since he missed the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am back in February. He was a combined 24 over par in those tournaments and had only made the weekend once. On a blustery morning at Harbour Town Golf Links, though, Lowry was back in control — firing a bogey-free 66 that earned him a one-stroke advantage. “Pretty much my whole game felt good,â€� Lowry said. “… I haven’t had that feeling in a while. So, it’s kind of nice.â€� He only needed to use that putter he put in his bag this week 27 times in the first round. Lowry took advantage of all three par-5s, too, getting up and down at each with birdie putts in the 3-foot range. His other birdie putts ranged from 8 to 19 feet. “It was something I’ve been struggling with — my par-5 scoring hasn’t been very good,â€� Lowry said. “I just played them nicely today. I struggled off the tee quite a bit this year, and I managed to find a new driver that I like. I hit that pretty good. And when you do that on par-5s it always gives yourself a chance.â€� Related: Featured Groups, tee times | Insider: Big week for small ball | Kisner keeps perspective as lifelong friend battles tumor Finding the right driver has been a work in progress for Lowry, who even in that early victory struggled off the tee – hitting just four fairways as he shot a course-record 62 in the first round in Abu Dhabi. Lowry estimated he tried 30 different drivers this year before settling on the Srixon one he first used at the Masters and liked so much that it earned another spot in his bag this week. “We’ve done a lot of work and I managed to find one I like and feel like I can trust it there,â€� Lowry said. “So, hopefully it keeps going. Today was the first day that I hit the ball well off the tee. So even it felt okay last week in Augusta, but today was the first real day.â€� Lowry hit 13 of 14 fairways in the first round and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, scrambling successfully for par on the ones he missed. Not surprisingly, then, he ranked in the top three in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, Tee-to-Green and Around-the-Green. “I’m happy with my golf,â€� Lowry said. “My scores haven’t been great as of late. But I felt like I’ve been playing okay. So maybe this is a reward for the perseverance.â€� Lowry has only played the RBC Heritage once previously, finishing tied for 44th in 2017. But he had some success that week – opening with a 66 before giving all that back with a 75 in the second round and eventually finishing 2 under for the week. “It’s just difficult,â€� Lowry said of the Pete Dye creation. “And if you’re 7- or 8-under going into Sunday, you’re going to have a chance to win the tournament, I think. And that’s kind of the way this course plays. You just need to be as patient as you can. “A couple of years ago I got off to a good start and I maybe tried to force it a little bit. So just try to stay patient the next few days. I enjoyed today. It’s nice to shoot a good score. And it’s my first good score in a few weeks. So just enjoy that and just get out there tomorrow and get after it.â€� Friday figures to be a challenge for everyone but particularly those with afternoon tee times when winds of 20-30 mph, gusting to 40, are expected and severe thunderstorms are possible. “You know the forecast is not going to be great,â€� Lowry said. “Yeah, I’ve seen it and knew this was my chance to go out and shoot a good number.â€� Mission accomplished.

Click here to read the full article…