During the first round of the 105th PGA Championship on Thursday, Oak Hill displayed its teeth for a significant portion of the day. However, there were also lots of birds.
After 14 holes, Eric Cole, who was competing in his second major title, was 5 under par.
He is two shots ahead of Scottie Scheffler, the No. 2 player in the world, Dustin Johnson, and Corey Conners, who all shot 3-under 67. He is one shot ahead of Bryson DeChambeau.
Tee times were delayed by approximately two hours due to a frost delay at the beginning of the day. There are 11 groups left to finish the round, which will continue at 7 a.m. on Friday.
The 34-year-old Cole displayed two streaks during the round, shooting three birdies in a row in a four-hole span early on Nos. 12, 14 and 15, and then again on Nos. 2, 3 and 4 on his back nine. He only hit a single bogey.
Cole will have four holes left to try and stay ahead of a number of the greatest names in the game when he returns early on Friday. These holes are Nos. 6 through 9.
He has only competed in one major tournament so far, the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, missing the cut, but this year he has been a consistent performer on the PGA TOUR.
He finished tied for fifth at the Mexico Open at Vidanta three weeks after losing to Chris Kirk in a playoff at the Honda Classic.