Canada's Mackenzie Hughes 2 shots back of lead at RSM Classic

Ludvig Aberg ran off four birdies and an eagle over a five-hole stretch on the back nine Saturday, not so much to pull away but just to keep pace. He had a 9-under 61 for a one-shot lead on an extraordinary day of low scoring in the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., narrowly missed a putt for 59. Eric Cole flirted briefly with a sub-60 round at Sea Island. A half-dozen players had at least a share of the lead at some point.

Aberg, the rising Swedish star who only turned pro in June after finishing at Texas Tech, wound up ahead of the pack as he goes for his first PGA Tour victory.

"Stayed patient and luckily it paid off today," Aberg said. "You get a lot of wedges on the back nine, and then 15's a reachable par 5. I felt like I was striking the ball well. I was hitting the fairways, apart from 14, But other than that, I felt I was striking the ball well and kind of took advantage of a little bit easier conditions today."

He was at 20-under 192, one shot ahead of Cole (61) and two clear of Hughes (60).

WATCH | Hughes stays in hunt at RSM Classic:

Aberg began his big run with an 8-foot birdie putt on the 13th. He chipped in from 75 feet on the next hole, made a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th, holed another 8-footer on the 16th and capped it off with a tee shot that plopped down a foot from the hole at the par-3 17th.

Everyone else was doing the same.

As for players who say they aren't aware of a chance to shoot 59, Hughes is not one of them.

"When I eagled 15, I thought if I can run the table, that would be 59," he said. "I was kind of licking my chops down 18. But unfortunately, it didn't work out."

He sure gave it a run, following the eagle with a pair of birdie putts from