Eric Cole of Palm Springs, Florida leads after the first day of the 2023 PGA Championship from the Oak Hill East Course in Pittsford, New York, a suburb of Rochester. The round is not complete because the opening day of the second major of the season was delayed by almost two hours this morning due to heavy frost. Thirty-three golfers, including Cole, are having to complete their first round on Friday.
Cole is at five-under-par, however he still has four more holes to complete his round. He birdied the second, third, fifth, 12th, 14th, and 15th holes, and bogeyed the 13th hole. Cole’s six birdies and one bogey came during a round where he started on the back nine.
There are eight more golfers in contention. Bryson DeChambeau of Modesto, California, the 2020 United States Open champion, is all alone at -4 and in second place. The 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler of Ridgewood, New Jersey, the 2016 United States Open champion and 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson of Columbia, South Carolina, and Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ontario are tied for third place at -3. Meanwhile, 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott of Adelaide, Australia, Viktor Hovland of Oslo, Norway, 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley of Woodstock, Vermont, and Ryan Fox of Auckland, New Zealand are tied for sixth place at -2.
Cole has not won a PGA Tour event in the past. However, he did reach the playoff at The Honda Classic earlier this year where he lost to Chris Kirk of Knovxille, Tennessee on the first extra hole.
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