Eric Cole shot a seven-under 63 on Saturday at Colonial Country Club to take a one-shot lead into Sunday, but he knows Sunday will demand near-perfect golf in firm conditions. Ryan Gerard surged into solo second, while J.J. Spaun and Mac Meissner are tied for
At Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Eric Cole didn’t just move up the leaderboard on Saturday—he did it decisively. One round after starting five shots off the lead, the 37-year-old PGA Tour veteran turned a tough setup into a stream of momentum.
Cole fired a seven-under 63 to grab a one-shot lead into Sunday’s final round. The 63 stood out even among a strong Saturday: it was two strokes better than Nico Echavarria’s 65 and four better than multiple others who shot 67.
Now comes the hard part, the part Cole can picture because he’s lived it. “It’s not going to be an easy day tomorrow, I know that from my experience,” he said Saturday. “I know that it’s going to be difficult. but that’s why I practice really hard and that’s why I try and do everything the way I do so that I could be as prepared for whatever tomorrow brings.”.
His day had the kind of rhythm that makes leaders dangerous. Cole was four under on the front side, then struck birdies on holes 10, 11 and 14. The only stumble was a bogey at 15. He answered immediately with a birdie on 16, then parred the last two to secure the clubhouse lead. A few hours later, that clubhouse lead held up as the 54-hole lead.
The numbers leave no doubt about where Cole is in his career, too. This week is his 120th career start, and he’s still searching for that elusive first victory. His closest moments have come without the finishing touch: he has two runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes, all in 2023. The nearest he’s come to a win was the 2023 Honda Classic, which he lost in a playoff.
Saturday’s pressure didn’t shut others down. Ryan Gerard. for instance. birdied the last two holes to shoot 68 and jump into solo second at 11 under—one shot behind Cole. Gerard’s finish sounded like a warning as much as a promise. “That’s going to be big for tomorrow,” he said of his round. “Every shot really matters; any time you get a chance to capitalize on an opportunity you got to take advantage of it. And this course is going to play difficult. so you got to go out there with the right attitude and keep putting it in front of you and keep hitting it in the right spots.”.
Just behind, the pack is thick. J.J. Spaun and Mac Meissner are tied at 10 under. Spaun, the 2025 U.S. Open champion, most recently won a month ago at the Valero Texas Open.
Seven players are clustered at seven under. That group includes Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia and Brian Harman.
Cole understands why the leaderboard stays so tight. In his view, the conditions won’t bail anyone out. “I think [Sunday] will play similar to today if there’s wind,” he said. “There’s no rain, so it’s not going to get any softer. So just be prepared for probably another difficult day that requires a lot of good quality shots.”.
What Cole learned on Saturday was exactly that: the course felt manageable only until the leaders arrived and the firm conditions demanded more precise choices. He’d started five off the lead, got off to a really good start, and kept converting chances. He said he knew going in that it was going to be a harder course in firmer conditions. When the reality hit—how much harder it played that day—the opening stretch mattered even more.
By the time Sunday arrives, the scene has changed from celebration to calculation. Cole still has the lead at 12 under, one ahead of Gerard. But as he pointed out, the weather and the firmness mean the hard part isn’t over. It’s only beginning.
Eric Cole PGA Tour Colonial Country Club Charles Schwab Challenge 63 one-shot lead Sunday final round Ryan Gerard J.J. Spaun Mac Meissner Nico Echavarria