function filter ($list) {
$newList = [];
foreach ($list as $line) {
$a = explode(' ', trim($line), 2);
if (count($a) > 0) {
$newList[] = $a[0];
}
}
return $newList;
}
$list = ['col', 'col(1)', 'col(1) string', 'col(1) string1 string2', 'col string1'];
print_r(filter($list));