Matthew NeSmith shoots 66 at Harbour Town, where he proposed to his wife

The 26-year-old PGA Tour rookie already has won the Junior Heritage and popped the question to his now wife at Pete Dye’s Hilton Head layout

Of all the courses Matthew NeSmith has played in his life, Harbour Town Golf Links, site of this week’s RBC Heritage, is his favorite – and for good reason.

The South Carolina native won the Junior Heritage on the Pete Dye layout in Hilton Head, South Carolina, in 2011, the Players Amateur in nearby Bluffton in 2015 – which earned him an exemption into the Heritage – and the famed 18th green overlooking the Calibogue Sound is where he dropped to one knee and popped the question in 2018 to Abigail, his now wife.

It’s also where he carded seven birdies en route to a 5-under 66 on Thursday to join the trophy hunt for his first PGA Tour title.

“This course fits my game nicely, especially if I play well,” NeSmith said. “I’ve been around here a couple of times. So I’m pretty excited about it.”

After his round, NeSmith recounted the circumstances of his proposal to his wife on March 18, 2018. They began dating as students at University of South Carolina, and he was playing the course as part of a birthday weekend trip to Hilton Head for her.

“I started to have a little bit of a panic attack around 14 because I didn’t think we were going to finish in time because there was tons of people on the golf course,” said NeSmith, who had a friend hiding in the bushes to photograph the moment for posterity. “Once I got on the green, I kind of don’t remember a whole lot until we were eating dinner. It was a little nerve-racking, to say the least.”

NeSmith made a par at 18 on Thursday, but he aced the engagement.

He and Abigail were married on Nov. 1, 2019, during a break from his fourth and fifth tournaments as a Tour member. The 26-year-old rookie earned his promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour thanks to a victory at the Albertsons Boise Open.

He’s off to a promising start, making the cut in nine of his last 10 starts and posting three top-15 finishes. He entered the week a very respectable 64th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Leaderboard | Photos | How to watch | Tee times | Updates

This is NeSmith’s first RBC Heritage appearance. He earned an invitation for winning the 2015 Players Amateur when he shot 65 in the final round to catch Chase Koepka, who had entered the final round with a five-stroke lead. But NeSmith passed up the Heritage in order to compete in the SEC Championship that same week with his teammates at South Carolina.

NeSmith started on the back nine on Thursday and strung together four birdies in a row, beginning at No. 13. He trails early leader Ian Poulter by two strokes. Asked what it would mean to complete a trifecta of sorts by winning the RBC Heritage having already won the Junior Heritage and his wife’s hand in marriage at Harbour Town, he said, “It would be great. It’s later on in the week, and there’s a lot of golf to be played.”

[jwplayer Mx5oFdbQ-9JtFt04J]

[lawrence-related id=778049879,778049616,778049796,778049763]