CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Eric Cole returned to the TPC River Highlands in much better shape than he left last year, pitching in for eagle from 65 yards on the par-5 13th and posting a 7-under 63 to take a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and five others Thursday in the Travelers Championship.
Wyndham Clark found the gallery a lot kinder and the course a lot softer than when he won his second U.S. Open last week at Shinnecock Hills. His only battle was with the 12th hole when he put his tee shot out of play and made triple bogey in his round of 68.
“They were finally rooting for me instead of against me, so we like the Connecticut fans,” Clark said.
Scheffler, who hasn't won since his first start of the year in January, at least got off to a good start. He played bogey-free in an efficient round of 64 that left him one shot behind along with Matt Fitzpatrick, Ben Griffin, Nico Echavarria, Bud Cauley and Kristoffer Reitan.
Cole had to withdraw from the final round a year ago — he was 10 shots behind, in the middle of the pack — with what he described as a nasty stomach bug. He has Addison's Disease in which the body doesn't produce enough hormones to handle stress and blood pressure. It was bad enough for him to spend a night in the hospital.
“I’m not sure if it’s redemption, but I’m happy to be here and feeling good,” Cole said.
His only disappointment was missing an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole of a pleasant day that followed steady rain earlier in the week that softened the course.
The TPC River Highlands is built for good scoring in any conditions, and it at times looked like target practice for so much of the day with greens holding shots. The greens became slightly firmer as the round went on.
Cole seized on the opportunity, particularly on the 13th hole. His second shot was just right of the green, and he pitched it on the right line with perfect speed to hole it for eagle.
“From 13 in is really where you can kind of score,” he said.
Scheffler, who won the Travelers two years ago, also played bogey-free and was poised to at least catch Cole on the closing stretch. After a tee shot just short of the green set up birdie on the reachable par-4 15th, he had medium-length birdie chances on the three closing holes and narrowly missed them for his 64.
Even so, it was his lowest opening round since a 63 at The American Express, which he went on to win in the California desert in January.
“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.”
Clark said he was surprised by his energy level considering the drain of a U.S. Open and becoming the first wire-to-wire U.S. Open champion in 12 years. The only issue was an allergic reaction that caused his left eye to get puffy and caused some blurriness.
And the only real issue with his game was the tee shot on the 12th hole.
“I had one bad swing, made a triple,” Clark said. “Other than that we would be at 5 under and in a great spot. So, yeah, I feel really pleased with my round and I felt awesome over everything. Just one bad swing.”
Patrick Cantlay, who has yet to contend this year and missed the cut in the U.S. Open, opened with a 65. It was his lowest start to a tournament since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.
“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. So just grinding and working on all the things that have historically paid off and we’re coming into a big stretch of golf, so it’s a good time to start playing well.”
Only 11 players in the 72-man field failed to break par in the final signature event of the regular season on the PGA Tour.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Keegan Bradley, left, and Jordan Spieth, right, wait to play at the 15th hole during the first round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Scottie Scheffler watches play on the 18th hole during the first round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Eric Cole lines up his putt on the 18th green during the first round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
