Quail Hollow PGA Pro Takes First-Round Lead at 70th PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com South Carolina Open
Carolinas PGA Associate Professional Preston Cole of Quail Hollow Club (Charlotte, NC) fired a 7-under par 65 to take a commanding four-shot lead after Tuesday’s opening round of the 70th PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com South Carolina Open at TPC Myrtle Beach.
Cole’s eight birdies with just one bogey on the day set the pace, as a quartet of golfers sat tied for second with 3-under scores of 69: Tommy Gibson, PGA of Old Town Club in Winston Salem, NC; amateur Walker Isley from Oak Island, NC; Jon Mayer, PGA of Headwaters Golf Course in Cashiers, NC; and Kyle Akins, PGA of Bentwinds Country Club in Fuquay Varina, NC.
Derek Watson, PGA of Myrtle Beach, SC, who won this event in 2019 at Grande Dunes Resort Course, sits in sixth place at 2-under.
Just 22 out of the 139 players in the field completed their first round Tuesday at even par or better, on a challenging TPC Myrtle Beach course where bogeys outpaced birdies by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
The 36-hole stroke play competition concludes with Round 2 play Wednesday beginning with 7:30 a.m. tee times, and the lead group of Cole, Gibson and Isley teeing off No. 1 at 1:59 p.m.
PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com is the South Carolina Open’s title sponsor, with foreUP, BIOLYTE and the PGA TOUR serving as supporting partners.
