Henley grinds through third round at Hilton Head

Russell Henley said he didn’t understand how he suddenly has gained the reputation of being an aggressive player.

“I wouldn’t classify myself as aggressive,” Henley said following an even-par 71 on Saturday in the RBC Heritage that leaves him at 3 under going into Sunday’s final round.

Henley, who is ranked 11th in the FedEx Cup standings with one win and $2,192,297 in earnings, might have unknowingly put himself in the aggressive player category with his final-round surge to win at the Houston Open and his 11th-place tie in the Masters that featured a closing-round 69.

An opening-round 66 at the Heritage, which Henley said is one of his favorite tournaments, was followed by a 73 on Friday. He has been paired with former Georgia Tech All-American Matt Kuchar all three days.

“It was good,” said Henley, a former Stratford and Georgia standout. “Kuch is easy to play with. We enjoy playing with one another. We don’t talk about Georgia or Georgia Tech. A lot of people were yelling at us, and you’re thankful for their support, but we don’t get into that.”

Henley said Saturday’s round, which was marred by consecutive bogies on the 11th and 12th holes, was a bit of a grind.

“I’m really worn out,” Henley said. “It’s been a long couple of weeks. They’ve been fun, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything, but I’m worn down mentally and physically.”

Harbour Town, Henley said, is a definite departure from a more open Augusta National Golf Club, which features large, fast greens.

“It’s narrow off the tee here,” Henley said. “The greens are small, and you have to pick your spots. You can’t always be aggressive, even when you’re in the fairway. You can be in the fairway and have to curve it around a tree. It’s tricky. I just try to play the shots as they come.

“The greens are the smallest we play; they’re a little slower and have a little more grain. I don’t know what they key to putting them is. They’re just different.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Henley grinds through third round at Hilton Head."