Max Greyserman and Eric Cole share the lead after the opening round of the inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville, each carding a 7-under 64 in North Carolina. Their one-shot advantage is part of a tightly packed leaderboard, with six players tied for second at 6 under, including Chris Kirk, Ben Kohles and Mackenzie Hughes.
Eight more players are another shot back at 5 under, leaving the tournament wide open heading into Friday’s second round. The field includes several prominent names, among them Corey Conners, Billy Horschel, Tony Finau, Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley, all positioned to make a move before the weekend.
Round 2 began Friday morning, with the leaders scheduled for afternoon starts. Greyserman was grouped with Matthieu Pavon and Kristoffer Ventura at 1:27 p.m. ET, while Cole played alongside Brice Garnett and Zac Blair at 7:31 a.m. Coverage was scheduled on Golf Channel from 3 to 6 p.m. ET, with PGA Tour Live streaming beginning at 7 a.m.
On the DP World Tour, Patrick Reed opened the BMW PGA Championship with a 4-under 68 at Wentworth as he continued to lead Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings. Reed is seeking to become only the second American to win the season-long title after Collin Morikawa’s 2022 triumph, while McIlroy is chasing an eighth crown to move within one of Colin Montgomerie’s record nine.
“It would mean a lot,” Reed said of the possibility of winning the Race to Dubai. “I’ve always prided myself as being an American that consistently comes over and shows support to this tour.” McIlroy, who trails Reed in the standings after Reed’s runner-up finish at the Irish Open, said being second provided sufficient motivation regardless of who occupied the top spot.