Eric Cole Leads Travelers As Scheffler Starts The Chase

Eric Cole didn’t just start hot at the Travelers Championship. He threw the first punch.

Cole ripped through TPC River Highlands on Thursday with a 7-under 63, grabbing the first-round lead in Cromwell, Conn., and putting world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler immediately into chase mode.

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On a softened golf course built for birdies, Cole found the extra gear everyone else was hunting.

The shot that changed his round came at the par-5 13th, where Cole pitched in for eagle from 65 yards. It wasn’t just a bonus. It was the kind of swing that turns a good opener into a leaderboard statement.

“From 13 in is really where you can kind of score,” Cole said.

He proved it.

Cole finished one shot clear of Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ben Griffin, Nico Echavarria, Bud Cauley and Kristoffer Reitan, who all opened with 6-under 64s.

In a 72-player field where low numbers were everywhere, Cole still managed to stand alone.

That matters at TPC River Highlands, where patience is nice but aggression usually cashes. The rain earlier in the week left the course vulnerable, and players spent much of Thursday firing at pins with the greens soft enough to reward bold swings.

Only 11 players failed to break par, which tells you everything about how loud the scoreboard was getting.

For Cole, though, this wasn’t just another Thursday heater. A year ago at this same event, he was forced to withdraw before the final round after a severe stomach illness that sent him to the hospital.

Cole has Addison’s disease, a condition that affects the body’s ability to handle stress and regulate blood pressure, making that scare far more serious than a typical bug.

This time, he left the property with the lead.

“I’m not sure if it’s redemption, but I’m happy to be here and feeling good,” Cole said.

His only real regret was failing to convert an 8-foot birdie chance on the final hole. That’s how sharp his day was: 63 felt like it could’ve been lower.

Scheffler, meanwhile, looked like Scheffler again — steady, clean and impossible to ignore. He posted a bogey-free 64, his best opening round since shooting 63 at The American Express in January, the last tournament he won.

That winless stretch is the story hanging over Scheffler right now, even if his game hardly looks broken. He won the Travelers two years ago, and Thursday’s round was a reminder that he doesn’t need much runway to become the problem everyone else has to solve.

“When the scoring is lower it can be harder and harder to play catch up,” Scheffler said. “Sometimes here you get so far behind you can only shoot so low on some of these golf courses, so it’s important to keep pace.”

Translation: He knows this could turn into a track meet, and he’s already in the pack.

Wyndham Clark had a much stranger day. Fresh off a wire-to-wire U.S. Open win at Shinnecock Hills, Clark returned to regular-tour life with a 2-under 68 that could’ve been much better if not for one ugly swing at No. 12.

His tee shot went out of play, leading to a triple bogey that erased what was otherwise a strong start.

“I had one bad swing, made a triple,” Clark said. “Other than that we would be at 5 under and in a great spot.”

Clark also dealt with an allergic reaction that left his left eye puffy and caused some blurred vision. Still, he said he felt surprisingly energized after the emotional drain of winning a major.

The fans helped, too.

“They were finally rooting for me instead of against me, so we like the Connecticut fans,” Clark said.

Patrick Cantlay also showed signs of life with a 65, his best first round since Pebble Beach in February. After missing the cut at the U.S. Open and rarely threatening leaderboards this season, Cantlay sounded like a player trying to convince himself the climb is beginning.

“I feel like it’s moving in the right direction,” Cantlay said. “Golf’s a funny game. A couple weeks can make the whole season.”

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That’s the danger this week. TPC River Highlands can flip fast. One eagle, one cold putter, one ball out of bounds, and the entire leaderboard can move.

Cole owns the lead after Round 1, but Scheffler is lurking, Clark is still dangerous, and half the field looks capable of throwing darts.

Thursday belonged to Eric Cole.

Now comes the hard part: keeping the sharks behind him.