HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Webb Simpson and Bryson DeChambeau were trading birdies with vastly different games, and Rory McIlroy ran off enough birdies to make the cut Friday at the RBC Heritage.
Simpson got the last word, with a 6-foot birdie on his final hole at No. 9 for another 6-under 65, giving him a 1-shot lead after another day of watching DeChambeau and his additional 40 pounds of mass swing out of his shoes for a 64.
DeChambeau made six birdies on his back nine, missing a 5-footer on the last that would have tied him for the lead. Corey Conners also was one back after a bogey-free 63.
“It’s very satisfying knowing I’m not near as long as some of these guys, and I’m able to kind of use my skills of distance control and shot shape to pick me back up when I’m 40 yards or 30 yards behind these guys,” Simpson said. “I would like to hit it further. I set out on a journey three years ago to get stronger, hit it further, but do it a lot slower than Bryson. But he’s made it look easy and seamless.”
Thunderstorms rolled through the island and halted play for two hours before the second round was completed.
Simpson was at 12-under 130, and scoring remained bunched. Twenty players were within four shots of the lead, a group that includes Brooks Koepka, who was three shots behind after a 66, and Dustin Johnson, who is coming off a missed cut at Colonial and had a 66 to be in the group four shots behind.
McIlroy made sure he was still in the game. He ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn and finished with a 66 to make the cut with one shot to spare, though he remained seven shots behind.
For so much of Friday, Simpson had the lead and DeChambeau had the spotlight, with his incredible bulk making him stand out like the lighthouse behind the 18th green.
He decided at the end of last season to get stronger and bigger so he could swing faster and hit the ball longer, and the transformation has everyone’s attention. On his final hole, DeChambeau had the honors and let Simpson go first so he could figure out what to do. Simpson poked his hybrid 221 yards down the fairway on the 334-yard ninth hole. DeChambeau opted for a 3-wood, mainly because he feared his driver would go well over the green.
He took two violent practice swings and huffed out breath like an Olympic weightlifter preparing for the clean and jerk. He sent it soaring, only to say, “Ah! Too much spin. Dang it.”
The ball found a bunker in front of the green, 309 yards away, and he was far more bothered missing the short birdie putt, even though his 64 left him right in the mix. He hasn’t finished worse than a tie for fifth since February, which includes only four tournaments because the pandemic shut down golf for three months.
“He’s been able to take this body that he’s never played with before and still play just as good, if not better,” Simpson said. “So that’s really impressive.”
The time off didn’t appear to hurt, and DeChambeau said time in the gym — and in the buffet line — allowed him to go from a ball speed of about 188 mph to the lower 190s. That doesn’t always work at Harbour Town, a tight course that winds through the oaks, and DeChambeau laments that he hasn’t been able to “launch the Kraken.”
At least he isn’t holding back at dinner. DeChambeau says his diet plan is a 2-to-1 ratio of carbs and protein, and “I literally just have it. I eat whatever, whenever.” The majority of bulk is muscle, all for more speed. He believes he can get it up to 197 mph on a course that allows for more drivers.
The biggest benefit is where it leaves him.
“The distance gain has helped me hit 9-irons and pitching wedges into holes, compared to hitting 7-irons and 6-iron,” he said. “That’s a huge change for me that’s allowed me to go and attack flags a lot more, be more aggressive, not really have to try and fit it into this little spot down on the fairway out here and really attack those flags.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.