Eric Cole (golfer)
Eric J. Cole (born June 12, 1988) is an American professional golfer from Delray Beach, Florida who currently plays on the PGA Tour. His parents Bobby Cole and Laura Baugh were both professional golfers.[2]
| Eric Cole | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | June 12, 1988 Palm Springs, California | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||
| Residence | Delray Beach, Florida | ||
| 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 | 50 (October 22, 2023)[1] (as of October 22, 2023) | ||
| Best results in major championships | |||
| Masters Tournament | DNP | ||
| PGA Championship | T15: 2023 | ||
| U.S. Open | T39: 2023 | ||
| The Open Championship | DNP | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Early life and amateur career
Cole 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.[2]
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.[3]
Professional career
He won 56 times on the Minor League Golf Tour including winning the tour championship in 2009 and 2021.[4]
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.[5]
Cole qualified for the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course, where he missed the cut after rounds of 77-73.[6]
Cole finished tied for third in the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2023 season.[7] 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.[8]
Personal life
Cole is the son of Bobby Cole, who won the Buick Open in 1977 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.[9][10][2]
Professional wins (12)
Minor League Golf Tour wins (12)
| 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 | Matthew Abbott |
| 2 | Dec 16, 2009 | MLGT Tour Championship | −7 (71-66=137) | 1 stroke | Johnny Bloomfield, Steve LeBrun |
| 3 | Apr 27, 2011 | Abacoa 2-Day | −4 (73-67=140) | 1 stroke | Derek Fathauer, Nick Latimer |
| 4 | Aug 6, 2015 | 3-Day Abacoa | −12 (66-71-67=204) | 1 stroke | Carl McCauley |
| 5 | Nov 18, 2016 | Match Play Championship | 2 and 1 | Hernan Borja | |
| 6 | Jun 13, 2019 | Monday Qualifier Contest #5 | −15 (67-49-65=181)* | 7 strokes |  Jesús Rivas, Nick Latimer |
| 7 | Sep 12, 2019 | The Falls CC 2-Day | −13 (67-64=131) | 1 stroke | Tom Lovelady |
| 8 | Sep 19, 2019 | Qualifying School Contest #5 | −10 (66-66=132) | 3 strokes | Hernan Borja |
| 9 | Oct 10, 2019 | Monday Qualifier Contest #8 | −15 (67-67-67=132) | 4 strokes | Justin Bryant |
| 10 | Oct 30, 2019 | Joey D Golf Match Play Championship | 2 and 1 | Blake Morris | |
| 11 | Dec 8, 2021 | MLGT Tour Championship (2) | −13 (63-66=129) | 1 stroke |  Ben Taylor |
| 12 | Apr 5, 2023 | Palm 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 (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||
| PGA Championship | T15 | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T39 | |
| The Open Championship |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2023 |
|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T27 |
"T" indicates a tie for a place
References
- "Week 42 2023 Ending 22 Oct 2023" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- 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". minorleaguegolf.com. 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. 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
- Eric Cole at the PGA Tour official site
- Eric Cole at the Official World Golf Ranking official site