Irish bruised by Oak Hill battle as Cole claims clubhouse lead
ROCHESTER, NY - MAY 18: Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on Thursday, May 18, 2023 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/PGA of America)
Rookie Eric Cole powered to the top of the leaderboard on five-under with four holes of his opening round to complete in the frost delayed PGA Championship.
As Ireland’s quartet of challengers suffered varying degrees of damage at a punishing Oak Hill, Cole, the son of former LPGA star Laura Baugh and South African Bobby Cole, make six birdies and a bogey to lead by a shot in the clubhouse from Bryson DeChambeau (66) and by two strokes from world number two Scottie Scheffler, Canadian Corey Conners and an impressive Dustin Johnson.
It was a mixed day for the Irish, however, with Rory McIlroy battling his way to a one-over 71 that looked highly unlikely when he turned in three-over par
The Holywood star ended the day tied for 27th with Pádraig Harrington’s 72 leaving him joint 42nd alongside the likes of Brooks Koepka.
Shane Lowry’s 73 left him just inside the cut line in 63rd but Seamus Power is 99th after a 75.
“I’m going to need to play a lot better than that if I am to have a future in this tournament,” said McIlroy, who revealed he was “fighting something” and not feeling 100pc
He was fighting most of the day just to find fairways and while he hit just two, his day turned when he made an unlikely par putt from 37 feet from a swale at the second, then played his last seven holes in two under
“Messy … pretty erratic out there,” McIlroy said of his round. “I didn’t hit the ball well at all. Did really well to finish one-over in the end, especially where my third shot was or where it was lying in three on the second hole
“To make that putter shot up the hill (at the second) and save par and play the last few holes at 2-under was a good recovery. But I have to play better than that to have a chance.
Veteran Harrington made a 15 footer at the last for par and a two-over 72 and hopes it will turn out to be his worst round after missing several chances and being forced to rely heavily on his short game
“I worked hard for it in a lot of places,” said Harrington, who had three bogeys but just one birdie. “I sort of drove it okay and didn’t hit many fairways which was a killer.”
“I feel like I can play better,” Harrington added. “If that was my bad day, you’re delighted.”
As for Lowry, he got punished for most of his mistakes which began with a bogey at the drivable 14th, his fifth, where he overshot the green from a green side bunker.
“It was relentless out there,” said the Offaly man after finishing with a bogey at the ninth. “Every time I hit an average shot I made a bogey."
It was a similar battle for Power, whose five-over 75 leaves him a good day today to make the weekend after finishing his round in near darkness with a bogey five at the ninth.
“It wasn't too bad for us,” Power said in the gathering gloom. “We just about had enough time so it was nice to get finished. I bogeyed the last after I missed the fairway. As soon as you do on that on that hole, you're kind of in big trouble.
“I was able to get my second shot someway close to the green but wasn't able to get it up and down so another bogey.
“The biggest thing for me is I played the easy holes very badly. I had two sixes on 14 and four, the par-five, and there aren't too many birdie holes.
“So you play those in one under and it is a different day. I’m going to have to play those holes much better tomorrow.”
Lowry called the test relentless and Power agreed though he knows there are birdies to be made with the greens still somewhat receptive.
“It is one of those courses where if you hit some good shots, you can get close because the greens are still holding,” he said. “It's just as soon as you make a mistake, it is so penal.
“I have never seen rough as uniform as that where there is no relief anywhere in the rough. You are really struggling to move it, especially around the greens.
"A couple of times I hit decent shots and i just ran into the rough 10-15 feet from the hole and you don't have a clue what's going to happen. It's something I am going to have to do a lot better tomorrow
“I just have to play those holes like 12 is one of the easier holes, 14 is obviously easier. And then a couple of putts didn't go in and I made that bogey on that par five. Besides that I just didn't do much wrong. So it was kind of frustrating, but kind of encouraging as well.
As for the relentlessness of the test, he said: “As soon as you play a hole you don't think is that hard and all of a sudden, you just don't hit a great shot and it's big trouble.
“It's going to be like that for the week. It's quite a challenge. It's a tough set-up. But obviously there's birdies to be had out there so we'll see what we can do tomorrow.”
