Charles Schwab Challenge Round 3: Eric Cole Fires 63 to Seize the Lead at Colonial

Moving day at Colonial is supposed to reward the brave. On a baked, breezy Saturday, Eric Cole went from 25th place to the top of the board with the round of the week.

Cole shot a 7-under 63, matching the best score of the tournament, to reach 12-under 198 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Ryan Gerard (68) is alone in second at 11 under. Mac Meissner (67) and reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun (68) are two back at 10 under, and Alex Smalley, Russell Henley and Hideki Matsuyama sit three back at 9 under.

From 25th to First

Cole started the day five shots off the pace. That deficit disappeared fast. Four birdies in the first eight holes and two more by the 11th had Cole at 6 under for the day, at a time when most of the field was just trying to keep the ball in play on firming fairways.

The only real wobble came at the par-4 15th, which produced Cole's lone bogey. The response was immediate. After setting up a birdie at the 14th with an approach inside 5 feet, Cole answered the bogey by chipping in from 27 feet at the par-3 16th.

"I kind of knew going into it that it was going to be a harder course, firmer conditions," Cole said, per the AP.

The 63 was a season best, and it came on the day the course finally fought back. The third-round scoring average was 71.2, over par, after two days of red numbers.

Bloodlines and Unfinished Business

The 37-year-old is still looking for a first PGA TOUR win, and Saturday was start No. 120. Cole was in the final group on Sunday at the 2025 Sony Open and finished fifth, so this is not unfamiliar territory.

Golf runs in the family. Cole's mother, Laura Baugh, was the 1973 LPGA Rookie of the Year and piled up 70 top-10 finishes over a 25-year career. Cole's father, Bobby Cole, won once on the PGA TOUR. Sunday also happens to be Laura Baugh's 71st birthday.

"It's not going to be an easy day tomorrow. I know that from my experience," Cole said.

Gerard Hangs Around

Gerard keeps finding a way to stay in the conversation. A first-round co-leader on Thursday and one back on Friday, Gerard ground out a 68 with three birdies and three bogeys. The finish is what kept the pressure on: a tap-in birdie at the 399-yard 17th and an approach to 6 feet at the 18th for another.

Those two closing birdies turned a forgettable day into a spot one shot off the lead.

The Dallas Connection and the Major Champion

Meissner, who lives in Dallas and played college golf at SMU, got hot early. Five birdies through 11 holes put Meissner right in the mix before two back-nine bogeys took some air out of a 67. Two back with 18 to play, Meissner has a real chance to win near home.

Spaun's round was a test of nerve. Bogeys on two of three holes threatened to knock the U.S. Open champion out of range, but a birdie from a greenside bunker at the 428-yard 15th steadied the ship. A 68 left Spaun two back with a real chance on Sunday.

Rough Day for the Overnight Leader

Saturday was cruel to Jordan Smith. The rookie started the day with a one-shot lead and never made a birdie. Three straight bogeys from the fifth through the seventh set the tone for a 74 that dropped Smith into a tie for 19th at 6 under.

Michael Thorbjornsen, who played in the final group, managed only one birdie in a 71 and slipped to 8 under. That group at 8 under also includes Michael Brennan (69), Mackenzie Hughes (69) and Nico Echavarria, whose 65 was one of the better rounds on a tough scoring day.

Sunday Math

The tournament is far from settled. Smalley, Henley and Matsuyama sit three back, with each of them having shot 69 or 70 on Saturday. Defending champion Ben Griffin, who won here a year ago, shot 68 and is six back at 6 under.

Sunday is expected to be even hotter than Saturday, and a firm Colonial is a demanding Colonial. Cole has the lead and the momentum of a 63. Behind are a hungry Gerard, a hometown hopeful in Meissner and a major champion in Spaun. Sunday decides who leaves Fort Worth in the plaid jacket.

Catch up on Round 1 and Round 2. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 recap and leaderboard), AP. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.