Luke Donald brilliantly ignited hopes of ending a seven year PGA Tour victory drought in holing a chip shot for birdie at the last to tie Canadian Graham DeLaet for the lead through two rounds of the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head in South Carolina.
Donald, 39 signed for a four under par 67 to match the score set by DeLaet earlier in the day in cloudless and hot conditions on the Harbor Town course.
The former World No. 1 ranked Donald was joint runner-up in the event a year ago and is looking for a first Tour triumph since denying current USA Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk to capture the 2012 Valspar Championship.
Donald came to the final hole trailing a shot behind DeLaet who is yet to win in 159 prior starts on the PGA Tour.
The Englishman landed his second some 42-feet left of the flagstick and played the perfect shot with this ball checking slightly before finding its way to the bottom of the cup, and in a round that included five birdies and among those three in succession from the fourth hole.
Luke Donald reacts after holing his second shot for birdie at the last to take him into a share of the lead.
“I felt good over the chip shot and I have always pitched well around here,” he said.
“The grass lends itself to being able to spin the ball so I just caught that one right and it trickled in the edge of the hole.
“It was fun to see that go in.”
Though it had been an errant display with the driver as evident when Donald having to play a provisional after a wild drive right off the 10th hole that he thought may have gone out-of-bounds.
However, he found his first ball and proceeded to play a superb second shot to the right side of the hole from where he chipped over a bunker to some 13-feet and saved par.
Donald enjoys the great record of having contesting the RBC Heritage on eight prior occasions and having finished runner-up on three occasions, including a year ago, while he has also been placed three twice.
But if Donald is to win a first RBC Heritage title he must also do something that he has never managed to achieve eight times in his long PGA Tour career when leading or sharing the lead after 36-holes and that it is to go on and capture the trophy.
Strangely, the last time Donald held the lead after 36-holes in a Tour event was at the 2011 RBC Heritage.
“It would be nice if I could go on and win as the last couple of years have been a struggle”, he said.
“But then I still feel I have some good years left in me, so I do need to continue to play well over the week and try to finish off this weekend”.
Two shots behind is fellow Englishman Ian Poulter, who carded a 68 to be tied on eight under par with past US Open winner, American Webb Simpson.
And Scotland’s Russell Knox, who had finished joint runner-up a year ago with Donald, bounced back from missing the cut for a second year running at The Masters signing for a 66 to by sharing 10th spot on six under.
Knox needed just 24 putts in his round and thanks to a new “See More” putter he put into his bag.
“I really felt I needed a round like this as it kicks my butt every year so I just remembered what to do,” said Knox.
“I haven’t holed a putt in two months (smiling) and I have been putting pretty bad so the best I to improve your putting it hit it closer to the hole”.
Just a stroke behind Knox is High Wycombe’s Tyrrell Hatton adding a 68 for a five under total.
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