Disputed ruling motivates Harold Varner III, who leads at RBC Heritage after 3 rounds
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Harold Varner III shot a 63 Saturday at the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head putting him atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s final round, with a disputed ruling on Friday seemingly fueling his birdie binge.
Harbour Town Golf Links is not Varner’s favorite course by a long shot.
“No,” says Varner, laughing at the suggestion. “Every shot is super uncomfortable, especially when it’s windy.”
Varner’s stellar play on a course known for its tight, tree-lined fairways and small greens — and one that gives him trouble — is all the more remarkable.
Varner shot a 31 on the front nine, 32 on the back, and bagged eight birdies in Saturday’s third round, leaving him one round and 18 holes away from his first PGA Tour victory.
The 63 score was two shots off the 18-hole low score for the course and one shot from Varner’s career best.
Three players are tied for second and one stroke back at 10 under — Erik van Rooyen of South Africa, Patrick Cantlay of Long Beach, California, and Shane Lowry of Ireland. Four players are two strokes back at 9 under par.
“It’s my favorite,” Varner said when asked about Harbour Town, “because I can drive here.”
He was referring to his car, not his tee shots. Varner lives in Charlotte, 250 miles north of Hilton Head.
Harbour Town Golf Links is not his favorite, Vaner says, because he hits too many balls out of bounds.
“It’s just hard off the tee,” Varner said. “Sometimes I feel like I’m always kind of guiding it out there. But if you can guide it out there for 72 holes you can do some damage.”
A disputed ruling over a tee shot on the sixth hole Friday also made Varner mad, and the incident seemed to motivate him when play resumed Saturday.
A man who lives alongside the course, Varner explained Saturday, was trying to help him find his ball in an area close to out of bounds. The man picked up his ball, he said, and then almost fell into a creek. A question arose as to whether the ball was returned to its original position and if it was in or out of bounds.
“Then we’re sitting there and we’re like, ‘Well the ball’s not exactly where it was,’” Varner said.
Varner was forced to hit a second tee shot.
“I could have hit a better shot, but I didn’t really like how it went down,” Varner said. “It was good for me because I was very irate until I got to the golf course.”
Varner, 31, who tied for second at last year’s Heritage, finishing four strokes back from Stewart Cink, doesn’t have a PGA Tour victory. But, he says, “I’m getting closer every day.” He does have victories at the 2016 Australian PGA Championship and the 2022 PIF Saudi International.
“It just proves that I should win,” Varner said of the international victories, “and I just want to do it here.”
Hot shots
▪ Varner’s 63 at the RBC Heritage is one stroke shy of his career-low round on the PGA TOUR of 62.
▪ Lowry and van Rooyen, who are tied for second and one stroke behind Varner, are seeking to become the sixth international winner of the RBC Heritage since 2012.
Sunday weather
A 60% chance of rain.
