JUPITER, Fla. – Eric Cole, a former Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Golf student-athlete, was recently named the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) 2022-2023 Arnold Palmer Award as the Rookie of the Year. Cole (35) is the second-oldest Rookie of the Year winner in PGA history. During the 2022-23 PGA season, Cole started 37 tournaments, had two runner-up finishes, placed in the top-five on six occasions, including four of his final five events in 2023, and finished inside the top-25 14 times.
The PGA Tour Player of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year awards are determined by a member vote, with Tour members who played in at least 15 official FedExCup events during the 2022-23 season eligible to vote.
Prior to joining the PGA Tour, Cole won 56 events on the Minor League Golf Tour, earning his Korn Ferry Tour card in 2017 and 2021. Cole then placed in a tie for third at the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship, earning his PGA Tour card for the 2022-23 season.
Cole, currently ranked 41st in the PGA, began his professional Golf career in 2009 and waited more than a decade to get his PGA Tour card. During the 2022-23 season, Cole moved from 228th in Golfweek/Sagarin rankings to 20th. Among the 50 rookies on the PGA Tour in the 2022-23 season, Cole was the only one to place within the top-50 of the FedEx Cup standings.
“It’s a huge honor to win Rookie of the Year,” Cole said. “It’s an award in golf where you only get one chance to win it, which is a little bit unique. To win that and be voted by my peers is pretty incredible, and it’s just a huge honor.”
Success on the golf course is not new to the Cole family, Eric’s mother, Laura Baugh, was named the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Rookie of the Year in 1973 and his father, Bobby Cole, won the 1966 British Amateur and the 1977 Buick Open.
For more information on Eric Cole and his journey to the Arnold Palmer PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Award, click here. Eric Cole will next be participating in the 2024 Sony Open, which takes place from the Wai’alae Country Club in Hawaii from January 11th through the 14th.
