Masters champion Jordan Spieth roared back into contention at the RBC Heritage with a second-round 62 on Friday . However , he and his fellow competitors were no match for Troy Merritt , who fired a 10-under 61 to equal the course record at Harbour Town Golf Links and open up a four-shot lead at the top of the standings . The 21-year-old Spieth bounced back from his opening 74 with a nine-under-par round of 62 to sit six under in Hilton Head , South Carolina . Jordan Spieth hits his second shot on the ninth hole during the second round of the RBC Heritage . The 21-year-old bounced back from his opening 74 with a nine-under-par round to sit six under . Troy Merritt fired a 10-under 61 to equal the course record at Harbour Town Golf Links . That looked to have put him firmly in contention , with playing partner and defending champion Matt Kuchar holding the clubhouse lead at the time on eight under . Yet Merritt took everyone by surprise with a storming run which saw him pick up seven shots on the back nine and shoot to the top of the leaderboard on 12 under overall . The 29-year-old American , who finished a flawless round with four successive birdies , admitted everything simply fell into place for him . 'It was a lot of fun , ' he told the PGA Tour website . ' I had the college mentality of 'just try to make one more ( birdie ) , just try to make one more and see what happens ' . And I was just fortunate to close with four in a row . ' I have n't played poorly all year , it 's just the tempo issue with me . If I do n't have it right away , it 's tough to find it and then I 'm scrabbling all day and trying to shoot one or two under . Today I was n't worrying about that . ' Kuchar is tied for second place with John Merrick , having followed his first-round 68 with a 66 . Merritt took everyone by surprise with a storming run which shot him to the top of the leaderboard . Spieth and his caddie chat with Matt Kuchar before their second shots during the RBC Heritage . Spieth and Kuchar shake hands during the RBC Heritage tournament in South Carolina . Merrick fired a round of 65 on Friday , mixing seven birdies with a single bogey on the par-four 12th . The pair are one shot ahead of a group of three players which includes Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell , who carded a 69 to go with his 66 from day one . Spieth , meanwhile , sank nine birdies to revive memories of his Masters heroics , when he led after every round to win by four shots . Merritt lines up a putt on the 17th hole during the second round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town . Spieth reacts to a putt on the 13th hole during the second round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town . And the Texan was relieved to see an improvement in his game from Thursday 's disappointment . He said : ' I found something in my ball position on the range this morning , and it made a significant difference in my ball-striking and in my putting . ' I told ( caddie ) Michael ( Greller ) when the day started , 'hey , let 's try to get three ( strokes ) a side ' . Let 's try to shoot six under today . And once we got a couple extra to go , it was off and running and do n't worry about your score ; just keep on trying to make birdies . ' Fans watch on as Spieth hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during the tournament in South Carolina .
van Spieth upped his game to haul himself back into contention . Masters winner bounced back from par 72 with a 72 - under - par round . However , he and his fellow players were no match for Troy Merritt . The American cruised to the bottom of the leaderboard on 12 under overall .