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Despite being unable to complete his round at Oak Hill Country Club, 34-year-old rookie Eric Cole finds himself in an unusual position as the PGA Championship's solo leader heading into the second day. Cole showed great form in the opening round of this year's second major competition, reaching 5-under through 14 holes.
This effort gave him a one-shot lead over LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau. Cole, who started on the back nine, was forced to mark his ball in the fairway on the sixth hole when play was halted due to darkness in Rochester, New York.
Eric Cole, along with 29 other players, will finish the first round on Friday morning and quickly move into the second round later that afternoon, keeping his momentum in this highly competitive tournament.
“It's nice, I like it a lot,” Cole told reporters after seeing his name atop the leaderboard at a major championship. “Whenever you play, you want to compete to win. That's the spot I like to see my name at, and hopefully it is there more often.”
Eric Cole's lineage of Golf
Eric Cole, the current PGA Championship surprise leader, comes from a distinguished golf family. Eric has always been inspired by his parents' accomplishments as the son of PGA Tour and British Amateur champion Bobby Eric Cole and former LPGA professional Laura Baugh, who won the U.S. Women's Amateur at the astonishing age of 16 in 1971.
Although he hoped to follow in their footsteps, there were times when he doubted his ability to compete with them. His mother's game, on the other hand, caught his attention, enabling him to acquire a special obsession with her abilities.
Eric had the opportunity of playing alongside both of his parents from an early age, acquiring significant knowledge and driving his passion for the sport. He is demonstrating his own talent and maybe building his own road to greatness in the golfing world with his current outstanding performance at the PGA Championship.
Background and past records
Despite some early difficulties, Cole has made a strong start to his rookie season on the PGA Tour. Despite nine missed cuts, including a difficult stretch of four consecutive cuts to open the season, Eric Cole has shown promise with four top-25 results. He finished T23 at the AT&T Byron Nelson last week.
Notably, Eric Cole's greatest performance came at the Mexico Open last month, where he finished T5. In addition, he nearly won the Honda Classic in February, hitting 14-under for the week and requiring a playoff with Chris Kirk. Kirk won for the first time in eight years after falling short on the first hole.
Nonetheless, Cole's runner-up finish was a huge milestone, giving him an astounding payment of nearly $1 million, which topped his total earnings from his previous 14 PGA Tour starts combined. Despite his lack of major championship experience, having missed the cut in the 2021 U.S. Open, Eric Cole showed poise and confidence on the course during the first round of the PGA Championship.
With three birdies on his front nine and three more on his back nine, he surpassed Dustin Johnson and Adam Scott to take the single lead.
“I'm hitting my irons pretty well, I feel like,” Cole said. “The few opportunities that you have — because you don't have a ton, obviously. It's a hard course. When I did have an opportunity, I kind of felt like I happened to read it right and hit a good putt, and they went in today, so that was good.
“I mean, I just have got to keep focusing on what I've been doing,” Cole said. “If the results happen, then they do. I hit 180 yards for my shot on No. 6, so I'm going to focus on getting ready to hit that shot for tomorrow morning.”
Despite the fact that he is still in the first round, Cole has a long road ahead of him this weekend. With other notable players chasing him, his ability to continue his performance on Friday will be critical. However, if Cole can maintain his composure and avoid the challenges posed by some of the sport's most illustrious characters, he has a good chance of remaining competitive throughout the weekend.
Current standing
Eric Cole is currently leading the table followed by Bryson Dechambeau.
