FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Eric Cole has put himself in position for another shot at his first PGA Tour victory after a season-best 7-under 63 on Saturday for the lead after three rounds at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.
Cole matched the best round of the tournament to get to 12-under 198, a stroke ahead of Ryan Gerard after he finished a round of 68 with back-to-back birdies. Mac Meissner (67) and reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun (68) were two strokes back.
After four birdies in his first eight holes, Cole added two more through 11 holes on a 90-degree day at Hogan’s Alley, which firmed up in that heat after rain earlier in the week. His only bogey was sandwiched by birdies on the back nine.
Spaun birdied with a blast out of a greenside bunker at the 428-yard 15th hole, which came after bogeys on two of his previous three holes.
PGA Tour rookie Jordan Smith, who entered the day leading at 10 under with a one-stroke lead, had four bogeys without a birdie in a round of 4-over 74 to drop to a tie for 19th place. He had three consecutive bogeys at Nos. 5 through 7 after only one bogey in his first 40 holes before that.
This is the 120th PGA start for the 37-year-old Cole, whose parents were both former professional players. His mother, Laura Baugh, was the LPGA’s rookie of the year in 1973 and had 70 top-10 finishes over a 25-year LPGA career. Bobby Cole was a native of South Africa whose only PGA Tour victory came in 1977 at Flint Elks Club in Michigan.
Cole, who will be going for a win on his mother's 71st birthday Sunday, has the 54-hole lead for the sixth time since his PGA Tour debut in 2021. The last time was the 2025 Sony Open when he finished fifth.
His chip-in from 27 feet off edge of the green at the 196-yard par-3 16th came after the bogey at the par-4 15th. He birdied the 439-yard 14th hole after an approach shot inside 5 feet.
Cole went into Saturday’s round at Colonial tied for 25th and five strokes off the lead.
Meissner, 27, who lives in Dallas and played at SMU, had five birdies through 11 holes. He missed an opportunity to go lower with two bogeys on the back nine.
Michael Thorbjornsen was also playing in the final group Saturday, and tumbled backward onto his rear end after hitting a shot out of a greenside bunker at par-5 first hole. He still parred that hole, but had only one birdie in a round of 71 to go to 8 under.
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