Travelers Championship Round 1: Eric Cole Pitches In for Eagle and Grabs the Lead With a 63

A year ago Eric Cole left TPC River Highlands for a hospital bed. On Thursday he left it with the lead.

Cole shot a 7-under 63 in the opening round of the 2026 Travelers Championship to sit one clear of a six-player logjam at 64 that includes Scottie Scheffler. Matt Fitzpatrick, Ben Griffin, Nico Echavarria, Bud Cauley and Kristoffer Reitan round out that group. A deeper pack at 65 features Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Corey Conners, Justin Rose and Aaron Rai. Welcome to the final Signature Event of the PGA TOUR regular season, where 72 players showed up and most of them brought their scoring boots.

The Comeback Card

The context matters here. Cole was in the mix at this event in 2025 before a stomach bug wrecked his week. Cole, who has Addison's disease, spent a night in the hospital and withdrew before the final round while sitting 10 shots back, per the AP. Posting the low round of the day on the same property is a good way to rewrite that memory.

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

The round turned on the par-5 13th. Cole's second shot drifted just right of the green, leaving an awkward 65 yards, and he pitched it straight into the cup for eagle. Cole also had a look at 8 feet on the final hole to get to 8 under and missed, which is the only reason the lead is one and not two.

Cole's read on the course was blunt. "From 13 in is really where you can kind of score," he said. The closing six holes at River Highlands are short, reachable and dangerous in both directions, and Cole took full advantage of them on Thursday.

Scheffler Stays Clean

Scheffler did what Scheffler does: no bogeys and a 64 that somehow felt like it could have been lower. Several medium-length birdie chances on the closing holes slid by. The highlight came at the reachable par-4 15th, where his tee shot finished just short of the green and set up an easy birdie.

It was Scheffler's lowest opening round since a 63 at The American Express in January, a tournament he went on to win. That also happens to be his most recent victory, which tells you how strange this season has been for a player who usually collects trophies in bunches. Scheffler won this event in 2024 and knows exactly how fast the leaderboard can move here.

"When the scoring is lower it can be harder and harder to play catch up," Scheffler said. Translation: don't fall behind on Thursday.

A Crowded Party at 64

The group at 6 under is a strange and interesting mix. Fitzpatrick posted his 64 with a new driver in the bag, which is either a great omen or a very small sample size. Griffin's round was all putter. According to the PGA TOUR's Signature Scroll, he gained more than five strokes on the greens and holed 163 feet of putts, the sixth-best single-round putting performance of the season.

Echavarria, Cauley and Reitan add some underdog flavor to a board that usually tilts toward the elite. In a 72-player field built around the TOUR's best, three of the six players one back of the lead are not household names.

Clark's One Bad Swing

Wyndham Clark arrived in Connecticut as the freshly crowned U.S. Open champion after going wire to wire at Shinnecock Hills for his second U.S. Open title, the first wire-to-wire U.S. Open champion in 12 years. Clark also arrived with a puffy left eye from an allergic reaction that left his vision a bit blurry.

Neither the eye nor the short turnaround from Shinnecock was the problem. The 12th hole was. Clark's tee shot went out of play and he made triple bogey, and that was the difference between a 68 and a spot near the top.

"I had one bad swing, made a triple," Clark said. The crowd, at least, was firmly on his side after a week at Shinnecock where the energy went the other way. "They were finally rooting for me instead of against me, so we like the Connecticut fans," Clark said.

Who Else Showed Up

Cantlay's 65 was his lowest start to an event since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, a nice bounce after a missed cut at the U.S. Open. "I feel like it's moving in the right direction," Cantlay said. Hovland quietly sits in that 65 group too, two shots back with plenty of golf left.

Sam Burns went bogey-free for a 66 and, per the PGA TOUR, had 15 birdie looks inside 20 feet but converted only four. Russell Henley also shot 66 thanks to steady driving. Jordan Spieth struggled to a 71 and lost more than two strokes on the greens. Rory McIlroy is not in the field this week.

The numbers explain the bunching. Steady rain earlier in the week softened the course, and the field averaged 67.9 according to the PGA TOUR, one of the lowest-scoring opening rounds of the season.

Friday Math

On a course that gives up numbers like this, a one-shot lead is not much of a cushion, and Scheffler's own warning applies to everyone chasing. Cole has the momentum and a good story. Scheffler has the clean card and the history. The players at 65 and 66 are still very much in it, because the low round of the week has not been shot yet. It rarely is on Thursday at River Highlands.

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

Sources: PGA TOUR (AP Round 1 recap, Signature Scroll, Draws and Fades, leaderboard), AP. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.