The first ace of the PGA Championship goes to Eric Cole.
Cole hit the perfect tee shot at the 184-yard par 3 fourth on Thursday afternoon to kick off the second major championship of the season. Cole’s ball bounced four times quickly on the front edge of the green at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina, and rolled straight into the cup — which sparked a huge celebration back at the tee box.
It was Cole’s second hole-in-one on Tour, though his first an an individual event. He also had one at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2024 when he was playing alongside Russ Cochran in that team event.
Advertisement
Cole’s latest ace came at the perfect time, too. The 36-year-old was struggling on his back nine after opening with a bogey and a double. The ace moved him back to even par for the day.
Cole has yet to win on the PGA Tour in his career. He has two top-10 finishes on Tour this season, however, most recently a T5 run at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks ago. This is just Cole’s third start at a PGA Championship. He missed the cut last season in Louisville.
Tyler Collet nearly beat Cole to it early in the day. The teaching pro out of Florida came just inches away from an ace at the 13th. He was left stunned on the tee when his ball just barely lipped out.
This is Collet’s fourth PGA Championship appearance, though he’s yet to make the cut in his career.
While both Collet and Cole walked away with some incredible shots on Thursday afternoon, they were both still well behind Ryan Gerard — who jumped out to the early lead with a 5-under 66 in the early wave.
Read the full article here
