HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) -- England's Aaron Rai birdied two of his final three holes to shoot 8-under 63 and take a one-stroke lead over Viktor Hovland after the first-round of the rain-delayed RBC Heritage on Friday.
Rai was among six golfers who couldn't complete play due to nearly 90-minute stoppage because of rain on Thursday.
Rai rolled in an 11-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to tie Hovland soon after the re-start. He took the lead with a 17-foot birdie putt on Harbour Town Golf Links' famed No. 18 lighthouse hole.
``It feels good,'' Rai said after finishing. ``Played really nicely. Can take a lot of positives from the way that we played tee to green and made a few nice putts as well.''
Hovland had opened with a 64 on Thursday and was seeking a first-round lead for the second straight week after tying for first through one round at the Masters.
Two shots behind were Brian Harman and Jimmy Walker at 65.
Six others were another shot behind at 66, including reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, Justin Rose, Scott Stallings, Sungjae Im and Joel Dahmen.
Masters champion Jon Rahm got off to a slow start with a 1-over 72. Rahm is back on the course for the second round as he tries to get back into contention.
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