Eric James Cole (born June 12, 1988) is an American professional golfer from Delray Beach, Florida who plays on the PGA Tour. He was awarded the 2022–23 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year[2] and is also the son of professional golfers Bobby Cole and Laura Baugh.[3]
| Eric Cole | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Eric James Cole | ||||
| Born | June 12, 1988 Palm Springs, California, U.S. | ||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) | ||||
| Sporting nationality | |||||
| Residence | Delray Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||
| Career | |||||
| College | Nova Southeastern University | ||||
| Turned professional | 2009 | ||||
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour | ||||
| Former tour(s) | Korn Ferry Tour Minor League Golf Tour | ||||
| Professional wins | 12 | ||||
| Highest ranking | 36 (February 25, 2024)[1] (as of November 24, 2024) | ||||
| Best results in major championships | |||||
| Masters Tournament | 52nd: 2024 | ||||
| PGA Championship | T15: 2023 | ||||
| U.S. Open | T39: 2023 | ||||
| The Open Championship | T31: 2024 | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
Early life and amateur career
editCole was born in 1988, the year after his parents remarried, two years after their divorce, as one of seven siblings. With both parents being tour golfers, Cole grew up on golf courses and started playing seriously at age 11. He never had other coaches than his parents.[3]
At age 14, while playing high school golf, Cole became a friend of Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer. Cole also got to know Palmer and the three of them played golf at Palmer's home clubs, Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Florida and Latrobe Country Club in Pennsylvania. In later years, Cole also caddied for Saunders at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour.[4]
Professional career
editHe won 56 times on the Minor League Golf Tour including winning the tour championship in 2009 and 2021.[5]
Cole earned his Korn Ferry Tour card in 2017 and played in eight events, making two cuts. His best finish was a tie for 39th place. He returned to the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2021 season and made 31 starts. His first top-10 finish came at the Savannah Golf Championship in October 2020, where he finished tied for third. He had five top-10s in the 2022 season, including two third-place finishes.[6]
Cole qualified for the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course, where he missed the cut after rounds of 77-73.[7]
Cole finished tied for third in the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2023 season.[8] In February, he finished tied with Chris Kirk atop the leaderboard of the Honda Classic before Kirk won with a birdie on the first playoff hole.[9] He was voted as the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2022–23 season.[2] At 35 years of age, Cole became the second oldest player to receive this award since its inception in 1990. Only Todd Hamilton, at 38 in 2004, had been older.
Personal life
editCole is the son of Bobby Cole, who won the Buick Open on the 1977 PGA Tour and had three top-10 finishes in major championships. In 1966, Cole's father, 18 years old, became the youngest winner ever of the British Amateur. Cole's mother, Laura Baugh, was the 1971 U.S. Women's Amateur champion, the youngest winner ever a 16 year old, and the 1973 LPGA Rookie of the Year.[10][11][3]
Professional wins (12)
editMinor League Golf Tour wins (12)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 28, 2009 | Quail Ridge 2-Day | −12 (67-65=132) | 3 strokes | |
| 2 | Dec 16, 2009 | MLGT Tour Championship | −7 (71-66=137) | 1 stroke | |
| 3 | Apr 27, 2011 | Abacoa 2-Day | −4 (73-67=140) | 1 stroke | |
| 4 | Aug 6, 2015 | 3-Day Abacoa | −12 (66-71-67=204) | 1 stroke | |
| 5 | Nov 18, 2016 | Match Play Championship | 2 and 1 | ||
| 6 | Jun 13, 2019 | Monday Qualifier Contest #5 | −15 (67-49-65=181)* | 7 strokes | |
| 7 | Sep 12, 2019 | The Falls CC 2-Day | −13 (67-64=131) | 1 stroke | |
| 8 | Sep 19, 2019 | Qualifying School Contest #5 | −10 (66-66=132) | 3 strokes | |
| 9 | Oct 10, 2019 | Monday Qualifier Contest #8 | −15 (67-67-67=132) | 4 strokes | |
| 10 | Oct 30, 2019 | Joey D Golf Match Play Championship | 2 and 1 | ||
| 11 | Dec 8, 2021 | MLGT Tour Championship (2) | −13 (63-66=129) | 1 stroke | |
| 12 | Apr 5, 2023 | Palm Beach County Open | −18 (66-63-66=195) | 3 strokes | |
*Note: The 2019 Monday Qualifier Contest #5 was shortened to 49 holes due to rain.
Playoff record
editPGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | The Honda Classic | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
edit| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 52 | |||
| PGA Championship | T15 | CUT | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T39 | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | T31 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in The Players Championship
edit| Tournament | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T27 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Week 8 2024 Ending 25 Feb 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Scottie Scheffler wins Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year for second consecutive season | Eric Cole earns Rookie of the Year honors, receives Arnold Palmer Award". PGA Tour. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c Heil, Jarrod (February 8, 2017). "Storylines: Cole follows in parents' footsteps as pro golfer". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ Babineau, Jeff (March 1, 2023). "For Cole, first Bay Hill start fulfills a teenage dream". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ "Eric Cole wins the 2021 MLGT Tour Championship presented by Joey D Golf". Minor League Golf. December 8, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ "Eric Cole – Career results". PGA Tour. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Marshall, John (June 16, 2021). "Cole gets shot at the U.S. Open after learning from parents". Associated Press News. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Waters, Steve (February 24, 2023). "Honda Classic: Delray Beach rookie Eric Cole emerges as contender with 'passionate' support". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ D'Angelo, Tom (February 26, 2023). "Chris Kirk outduels Eric Cole in a playoff to win 2023 Honda Classic". Golfweek. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ McCabe, Jim (February 23, 2023). "Laura Baugh's kid". Global Golf Post. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Schreiber, Max (February 26, 2023). "After unorthodox path to PGA Tour, rookie Eric Cole nearly wins Honda in playoff". Golf Channel. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
External links
edit- Eric Cole at the PGA Tour official site
- Eric Cole at the Official World Golf Ranking official site