HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Viktor Hovland followed a first-round, 7-under 64 at the RBC Heritage with a Friday 65 to move into second place, one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick.

Playing in the afternoon wave at Harbour Town Golf Links, Hovland held firm against increasingly swirling winds. He backed up a front-nine 32 with a back-nine 33, which included a birdie on the par-3 17th, playing as the second-most difficult hole on the course Friday.

"I wouldn't say I striped it today, but at least I kind of kept the ball in front of me, and that's what you're trying to do on this golf course," said Hovland after his round. "I hit some really poor tee shots that I kind of got away with, but at the same time, I was really happy with how I was able to stabilize the round and not let it get off the tracks because in the past I could have done that."

Harbour Town is known for its tree-lined fairways, tight landing zones and bottlenecks – a true test of finesse.

"Kind of the great thing about this course is that it's all what we like to say, it's all right there in front of you," said the six-time PGA TOUR winner. "It's very tricky and it's very visually demanding. I think that's one of the geniuses of Pete Dye is he really makes a hole, even though it doesn't need to be the longest one or it looks relatively straightforward, but you know you've got to hit some great shots."

A known perfectionist, the 28-year-old Norwegian has spent the better part of the last three years making adjustments to his game. Since winning the 2023 FedExCup, he's added the 2025 Valspar Championship trophy to his collection and compiled mixed results this season: four top-20 finishes and one missed cut in seven starts.

Hovland said he's been "living on the range," and according to the PGA TOUR's TOURCAST Range, he hit the fifth-most captured shots of any golfer, 415, at Harbour Town through Wednesday. He shared that he reached a turning point with his ball-striking a few weeks before the Masters, saying, "I saw a lot of good stuff. I wouldn't say it was exactly where I want it to yet, but just seeing progress and less of those big misses that I've been struggling with. It's kind of just been a slow and steady progress since then."

Despite a rocky start to the Masters, he rallied to make the cut, and his closing 5-under 67 at Augusta National was the boost he needed.

"I haven't really had that many rounds this year where I felt like it's clicked," said Hovland. "Either I make a bunch of putts but then I hit it all over the place, so I don't really get that low of a score, or actually I might have a round where I feel like I'm actually hitting it quite well but then I don't make any putts, and they all kind of end up just being somewhat average rounds.

"It was nice, especially at Augusta, when it's not an easy place, and to be 7-under through 14 holes was really cool, just to feel that again, hit the shots at a tough golf course and make the putts when you want to. ... I think it put me in a better frame of mind going into this week."

Hovland will be playing in the final group Saturday with a red-hot Fitzpatrick, who's searching for his second win in three starts.

"He works so hard," said Hovland about his European Ryder Cup compatriot. "He's extremely methodical. I think it's pretty cool to see other guys, they have their thing. They have their way of trying to get better, and he goes all in on that. He doesn't really care what other people say; he believes in what he's doing. You look at his career, he just keeps winning tournaments and keeps getting better. If there's a deficiency in his game, he tackles it and gets better, and I find that very admirable."

Two methodical players with good work ethics, tackling their deficiencies. The weekend at Hilton Head Island just got interesting.