Eric James Cole (born June 12, 1988) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He was awarded the 2022–23 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He is the son of professional golfers Bobby Cole and Laura Baugh.
Early life and amateur career Cole was born on June 12, 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.
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.
Professional career He won 56 times on the Minor League Golf Tour including winning the tour championship in 2009 and 2021.
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.
Cole qualified for the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course, where he missed the cut after rounds of 77-73.
Cole finished tied for third in the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2023 season. 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. He was voted as the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2022–23 season. 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 Cole 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 at 16 years old, and the 1973 LPGA Rookie of the Year.
Professional wins (12) Minor League Golf Tour wins (12) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Aug 28, 2009Quail Ridge 2-Day−12 (67-65=132)3 strokes Matthew Abbott2Dec 16, 2009MLGT Tour Championship−7 (71-66=137)1 stroke Johnny Bloomfield, Steve LeBrun3Apr 27, 2011Abacoa 2-Day−4 (73-67=140)1 stroke Derek Fathauer, Nick Latimer4Aug 6, 20153-Day Abacoa−12 (66-71-67=204)1 stroke Carl McCauley5Nov 18, 2016Match Play Championship2 and 1 Hernan Borja6Jun 13, 2019Monday Qualifier Contest #5−15 (67-49-65=181)*7 strokes Nick Latimer, Jesús Rivas7Sep 12, 2019The Falls CC 2-Day−13 (67-64=131)1 stroke Tom Lovelady8Sep 19, 2019Qualifying School Contest #5−10 (66-66=132)3 strokes Hernan Borja9Oct 10, 2019Monday Qualifier Contest #8−15 (67-67-67=132)4 strokes Justin Bryant10Oct 30, 2019Joey D Golf Match Play Championship2 and 1 Blake Morris11Dec 8, 2021MLGT Tour Championship (2)−13 (63-66=129)1 stroke Ben Taylor12Apr 5, 2023Palm Beach County Open−18 (66-63-66=195)3 strokes Chris Wiatr *Note: The 2019 Monday Qualifier Contest #5 was shortened to 49 holes due to rain.
Playoff record PGA Tour playoff record (0–2) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult12023The Honda Classic Chris KirkLost to birdie on first extra hole22026Charles Schwab Challenge Russell HenleyLost to birdie on first extra hole
Results in major championships Tournament202120222023202420252026Masters Tournament52PGA ChampionshipT15CUTT41U.S. OpenCUTT39CUTCUTThe Open ChampionshipT31T53
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in The Players Championship Tournament2023202420252026The Players ChampionshipT27CUTCUTT32 CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place
See also 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Finals graduates
References
External links