Patrick Cantlay makes ace on par-3 seventh at RBC Heritage

Patrick Cantlay has added another chapter to his strong heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Cantlay made a hole-in-one at the 200-yard, par-3 seventh hole Friday at the RBC Heritage, his 16th hole of the day. It marked his third career ace on TOUR, his first since the 2018 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (hole 8, third round). It’s the 11th ace on No. 7 in RBC Heritage history.

“A one-yard cut that just came off perfect,” Cantlay said. “It was just a perfect 6-iron number, a little into the wind … There are a bunch of fans around the seventh green, so it was nice to show off for them a little bit.”

Cantlay’s tee shot landed some 20 feet short of the hole, released and dropped into the right side of the cup. He raised his hand with a smile, exchanging high-fives and fist-bumps.

The ace moved Cantlay to 6 under on his round through 16 holes; he made two closing pars for a 6-under 65. He stands 8 under for the tournament through 36 holes, squarely in the mix to chase his ninth TOUR title this weekend.

Cantlay has a strong track record at Harbour Town and was a popular selection to contend into the week. In five prior RBC Heritage appearances, he has a solo second and two third-place finishes. All that’s missing is a plaid jacket.

“I think it really demands you shape the golf ball off the tee, and it paints a really good picture for what you're supposed to do on every hole, which is something I like,” Cantlay said of Harbour Town. “And you have to drive it really straight, which is one of my strengths.

“I'm going to keep trying to do my game plan as much as possible, and that's in general be aggressive off the tee but not necessarily air it out. Really try to hit the right shape shot off the tee and leave myself a lot of wedges … I think it's a golf course with some local knowledge, and I've played this tournament a lot and played well. So I'll carry all that good momentum coming into the weekend.”