HILTON HEAD ISLAND — Andrew Novak had just missed chipping in from the sand trap at hole No. 17 on the Harbour Town Golf Links.
A smattering of applause could be heard from the gallery as he made his way to the 18th tee on a hot, humid Saturday afternoon in the Lowcountry.
The former Academic Magnet High School standout hit a towering drive down the middle of the fairway on No. 18 and as he made his way toward his ball, he heard “Go Raptors” from several supporters.
Yeah, Novak was home.
Despite growing up in Mount Pleasant — more than a two-hour drive from Hilton Head — Novak feels like he has the home-course advantage over his rivals.
After a roller coaster front nine, Novak settled down and shot a 6-under par 65 for the second time in three days to find himself at 12-under after 54 holes at the 2026 RBC Heritage Golf Tournament on April 18.
“I try to lean into the fan support,” Novak said. “People are yelling at me, and I hear every one of them. I heard a “Go Monarchs,” which our mascot at Jennie Moore Elementary where I went to school, which was really cool to hear.’”
Novak is tied for sixth and trails tournament leader Matt Fitzpatrick (-17) by five strokes. Fitzpatrick, who won the event in 2023, shot a 3-under 68 and held a three-shot lead over World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler with 18 holes to play.
Scheffler (-14) torched the links course during the third round, recording eight birdies and carding the second-best score on the course on Saturday.
Playing courses around the Charleston area like Charleston National and Wild Dunes helped prepare Novak for Harbour Town, he said.
“Yeah, I’m local here,” said Novak, who finished second at the 2025 RBC Heritage, losing to Justin Thomas in a playoff. “I’m from around this area. This feels like home to me. This is the kind of golf course that I feel like I’ve played many times growing up.
“It’s a lot like Charleston National, a lot like Seabrook Island and Wild Dunes, and even Rivertowne. Very positional. These are the courses when I first started playing out on the Isle of Palms that are very similar to this golf course. You are not going to find a tighter golf course than the Harbor Course (Wild Dunes). If you’re in the wrong spots, you’re going to be punished because if you don’t have the right angle, there’s nothing you can really do about it.”