Ahead of U.S. Open appearance, PGA Tour pro Eric Cole credits the late Frank B. Fuhrer Jr.

If it were not for the late Frank B. Fuhrer Jr., Eric Cole might not have found his way to the PGA Tour.

Cole was a struggling mini-tour player with little money in his pocket when Fuhrer gave him a spot in 2014 to play in his prestigious golf tournament held in Fox Chapel.

Cole won the Frank B. Fuhrer Jr. Invitational that year and played in the event every year afterward until it ended in 2023. The invitation kick-started his career.

Coincidentally, Cole won the final event as well, with both victories coming at The Pittsburgh Field Club, a mere five miles from Oakmont Country Club, the site of the 125th U.S. Open, which begins Thursday.

Fuhrer was an East Brady native and Fox Chapel resident who owned one of the largest beer distributorships in the country. In 1995, his investment in the Pirates helped keep the team in the city. He also owned the Triangles of World Team Tennis and the Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Cole, who will turn 37 on Thursday, is from Florida. He played golf for Nova Southeastern, a Division II college in Fort Lauderdale.

He paid the tournament entry fee with a credit card, and the $40,000 winner’s check gave him a chance to continue his professional career.

When he won in 2023, he drove to Pittsburgh from Connecticut, got to bed about midnight and was on the tee at 8 a.m.

He won the invitational by nine strokes over David Bradshaw, with an 11-under 269 that included an opening-round, course-record 63.

He then donated all of his prize money back to the Fuhrer family, to be directed toward charitable causes.

Fuhrer died May 21, 2022, at 96.

“Mr. Fuhrer passed away last year. … This was the last year of his tournament, so I felt like it was a really important thing for me to be there and play in it,” Cole said in 2023. “It was cool to be part of the last edition of his tournament. To be there, one, and then to win the last edition of his tournament was awesome.”

Cole arrived at Oakmont this week with two top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season. He’s 60th in Fed Ex Cup points and has earned almost $1.89 million.

“I probably would not be on Tour without his tournament,” he said. “Because, when I won it (in 2014), I really had no money to keep golfing. The $40,000 first prize kept me going and gave me a chance to continue to pursue getting on the PGA Tour. I’m forever indebted to him.”

Cole then paused and said, “I’d like to think he’s watching me this week. I always love coming back to where that tournament was. And I definitely had some good memories. It played a big role in keeping my dream alive of playing the PGA Tour.”

Cole had never played a round at Oakmont before Tuesday’s practice round on the front nine. He planned to play the back nine Wednesday.

He does remember having breakfast with Fuhrer on the porch.

“That was the only time I was on the property,” Cole said. “This place lives up to all the hype. It is very difficult. Rough is penalizing, and the greens are tricky.

“It is a course I think the more you probably putt on the greens, which are similar to The Field Club, you can get used to the slopes.”

This is Cole’s fourth U.S. Open.

He made the cut and finished tied for 39th in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. His father, Bobby, played in seven U.S. Opens, and his mother, Laura Baugh, won the 1971 U.S. Women’s Amateur.

“I love coming to Pittsburgh,” Cole said. “The people are great, and it is a great sports town. I am looking forward to this weekend.”