Heck, he even questioned why he decided to play the event in the first place.
"Complete disaster," Heintz said. "I actually felt like I had completely blown myself out of the tournament. I was like, 'What am I doing here? Why did I leave home this week?'"
All he did from there on out was play the next 15 holes in 7-under par to salvage a 68. Heintz enters the weekend at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in a tie for 17th place at 6-under total, although Saturday he will play Greenville Country Club's Chanticleer Course, the most difficult in the 3-course rotation.
Still, considering his position after the 12th hole Friday, he could be doing a lot worse.
Heintz was the epitome of not giving up Friday, persevering through early disaster to shoot 3-under par and stay relevant in the tournament. After starting the day on hole 10 and going 4-over through his first 3 holes, he had a decision to make.
Throw in the towel, or keep plugging away?
"What are you going to do from there?" Heintz said. "You either quit, or you just keep working. I had three downwind holes in a row, and I took advantage."
And take advantage he did. He quickly proceeded to birdie the next four holes to get back to even-par on the round.
No harm, no foul.
The birdie on 13 came by way of an approach that danced all over the flagstick. Once Heintz made his swing, he was staring the ball down all the way.
"What's cool about that was it was a wedge and it was right at it," Heintz said. "I thought it could've gone in if it got lucky and hit the right bounce."
After the birdie run, Heintz cooled down and rolled off a string of pars. Some were routine, and some required a bit of touch around the greens. Heintz left his approach shots short on holes 17, 18 and 1, but was able to get up and down for par each time.
On hole 18, a long and uphill par 4, Heintz had a dangerous second shot. His drive ended up in the left rough, where he was faced with an approach that he wanted to shape from right to left. The problem? His lie suited a left-to-right shot, creating the possibility for the ball to end up anywhere.
Heintz made do, however. He adjusted appropriately, and his approach ended up in the fairway just short of the green, from where he salvaged his par.
The par streak continued until the par-5 5th. Short left of the green, Heintz was faced with a tricky chip over a bunker.
No worries. Heintz executed a deft chip shot to inside 5 feet, and he rolled in the birdie putt.
The momentum continued on the very next hole, the par-3 6th, after a superb shot to inside 6 feet. Past experience came in handy on club selection for Heintz, helping him hit it close.
"That's an interesting hole," Heintz said. "It always plays short. With the greens releasing, i felt if I hit a 7-iron all the way to the hole it would probably go off. So I rared back and pumped an 8-iron pretty hard, and it worked out."
Heintz nailed the putt to move 2-under on the round.
If holes 5 and 6 served as a spark, hole 8 provided the legitimate fireworks. After a nice tee shot, Heintz found a bit of trouble when a pulled approach left him with a tricky 30-yard chip shot.
Lining up the shot, Heintz' main concern was keeping from making a big mess, akin to the trouble back on hole 12. He had worked too hard to fight his way back from the abyss.
Naturally, he holed the shot.
"I had made such a great comeback, and I know this is bad golf psychology, but I didn't want to screw it up," Heintz said. "I was telling myself, 'Look, do the best you can from here. Give yourself a chance for par. It's okay if you make a bogey'."
"I forgave myself ahead of time, and the shot came out so perfect."
This is Heintz' first Nationwide Tour start of the year. Playing on a conditional exemption, the surest way of gaining eligibility for the next event is to place in the top 25. Currently tied for 17th, Heintz is right on that bubble.
Still, Heintz isn't sure how much professional golf he has left in him. He has floated between the PGA and Nationwide Tours for over a decade, and he hates to leave his family's well-being up to his golf game, especially when his tournament results have been rather inconsistent lately.
So Heintz has been searching for job possibilities. He graduated from Yale with a degree in economics, and he has been exploring his options.
He thinks that maybe his time to call it a career has come.
"We're in a situation where I think I need something more stable," Heintz said. "I just haven't had the results for a couple years, and I'm just looking elsewhere. I've got to support my kids."
Still, if Heintz can keep up his torrid play from the last 15 holes Friday, he should be in a position to finish in the top 25. In that case, he would gain entry into the next Nationwide stop, in two weeks at The Rex Hospital Open.
In that case, would he play?
"Sure, what the heck," Heintz said.
And if he wins?
Alright, we won't get too far ahead of ourselves here.
In any event, Heintz' Friday effort provided an example of determination and refusal to quit under adversity. Traits that fathers strive to instill in their kids.
"That round is something, if my kids did it, I would be pretty proud," Heintz said. "I'm happy I was able to do it."
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