HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Eighteen Aprils ago, a 19-year-old Rickie Fowler made his PGA TOUR debut at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Fast forward to the present day: Fowler has a wife, two daughters and an illustrious career under his belt, but is still teeing it up at the RBC Heritage, the fourth Signature Event of the season – and only two shots back of the lead this time after a first-round, 6-under 65.

"Always excited to come to this place," said Fowler after his round. "Going back, having my first start here a long time ago, it's a fun golf course to play. ... It's always a special week, but also want to be in good form because I feel like I can play this golf course well. Nice to get off to a good start today."

Fowler birdied five of his first seven holes at a sunny, breezy Harbour Town, hitting four approach shots to within 9 feet and draining a 38-foot birdie putt to go along with it. He bogeyed the par-4 ninth hole after dumping his approach shot in the bunker behind the green, but went bogey-free on the back nine and added two more birdies on Nos. 12 and 17, sticking his approach to 8 feet on the testy par 3. His most entertaining moment of the day was a par save on the par-5 15th hole, where his drive settled by a tree and he had to play lefty to punch out.

Fowler was tied for fourth overall in Strokes Gained: Total, a significant bump from his season average of 36th.

While he started the season strong with four top-20 finishes in five starts, he missed two straight cuts in Texas to sit out his fifth Masters in the past six years. "We've had a few slow weeks, and I felt like I just wasn't getting much out of it," said Fowler.

However, the time off last week allowed him to arrive at Hilton Head on Sunday and get some extra preparation in.

From Monday through Wednesday at Harbour Town, Fowler hit the most captured shots (561) of any player, per the PGA TOUR's TOURCAST Range. This interactive 3D experience lets fans follow their favorite TOUR players during range sessions. Fowler also led all players on Wednesday with 215 shots and spent almost two hours grinding it out.

"Really didn't have great stuff the last few days and just put some time in to try and get into a better spot," said Fowler. "Was getting maybe a little wipey on irons, and around here in the trees and with the wind, hitting the back of the ball with a square club face is pretty key when you're trying to control your numbers when the wind is kind of bouncing around. I was just kind of struggling with hitting my windows with proper flight and contact.

"I feel like it's a ball-striker's golf course. That's why I was putting some work in the last couple days because I know you can't really whiff it around here. ... I obviously sent some videos to Butch. Some of it was just getting in a spot where I was comfortable and being able to continue the body to move and get the face square at contact. Yeah, so some of it is just a trust thing and in the head, which can be tough at times."

Nearly two decades later, Harbour Town still fits Fowler’s eye – and this week, with that extra boost of comfort, his game is starting to match it.