GOLF.com: Eric Cole Snapped His 8-Iron in Frustration — Then Shot 63 the Next Day at John Deere

A 63 Born from Frustration

Eric Cole fired the low round of the second day at the John Deere Classic — a 63 — but the story behind it is as much about human emotion as it is about ball-striking.

Thursday's Meltdown

Cole's opening round unraveled badly on the back nine. After a solid front-nine 1-under, he carded a 6-over 41 on the back, including two Double Bogeys. In a moment of pure frustration, he bent his 8-iron.

With a new set already overdue, Cole texted his PXG contact, and an overnight delivery brought a fresh set of irons to his door by Friday morning.

Friday's Transformation

The new sticks — same specs as the old ones — seemed to unlock something. Cole birdied holes 1, 2, 6, 8, and 10, recovered from a bogey on 11 with another birdie on 14, then eagled the par-5 17th for good measure. No player in the field matched his score that day.

"I just had nothing to lose," Cole said. "I played so poorly yesterday that I was just going to try and shoot as low as I can."

Cole's Equipment Philosophy

Cole noted the new irons matched his old specs exactly, but he has a personal rule: if one iron needs replacing, the whole set goes. He applies the same logic to his wedges. He typically sticks with one iron set for an entire season, but Thursday's snapped club gave him the perfect excuse to refresh the bag mid-tournament.

Strokeslab's Take

While the equipment change is the headline, the mental reset it provided may have been just as important. A player freed from expectations — believing he "has nothing to lose" — often plays more aggressively and fluidly, which shows up across all SG categories.