RBC Heritage 2018: Rory Sabbatini Holds Lead After Round 1

The 2018 RBC Heritage began Thursday, with Rory Sabbatini holding the lead after the first round at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

After a thrilling Masters tournament last weekend, many of the top golfers sat out of this week's competition. Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Jason Dufner and Ian Poulter are among those in the field.

Below is a look at the leaderboard as well as a recap of Day 1's action.

2018 RBC Heritage Leaderboard — First Round

1. Rory Sabbatini 64 (-7)

T2. John Huh 66 (-5)

T2. Billy Horschel 66 (-5)

T2. Matt Kuchar 66 (-5)

T2. Chesson Hadley 66 (-5)

T6. Harris English 67 (-4)

T6. Martin Laird 67 (-4)

T6. Patrick Cantlay 67 (-4)

T6. Jonas Blixt 67 (-4)

Full leaderboard can be viewed at PGATour.com

Even with a field that was missing many of the sport's biggest names, the first round provided intrigue.

The day belonged to Rory Sabbatini, who took a two-stroke lead into Friday behind a seven-under 64. It was a near-perfect day for the 42-year-old South African, who notched seven birdies without a single bogey. It was his ability to avoid a major mistake that put him in good positioning after Thursday's action.

Thanks to a sponsorship deal with RBC, the No. 1 golfer in the world, Dustin Johnson, took part in this tournament.

Unfortunately for him, the top-ranked player has some work to do.

Johnson managed an impressive six birdies in the first round, including four on the front nine, but four bogeys kept away from the top of the leaderboard.

As Jonathan Wall of PGATour.com noted, Johnson is experimenting with a new putter in his first RBC Heritage appearance since 2009. The 33-year-old admitted he could have had a better day on the green.

"I played OK," Johnson said, per the Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard. "I missed a few short putts there on the front side, which is my back side. But overall hit it pretty good."

He shot a 69 on the day, putting him in a tie for 20th place.

Reigning champ Wesley Bryan also found himself five strokes back of the leader after shooting a two-under as well. On the plus side, his accuracy was on point:

He shot a 13-under to win the tournament last year.

And even through all of the competition, there were some lighthearted moments during the first day:

Some had better rounds than others, but plenty of golf remains as the tournament heads into the weekend.