Eric Cole Looking To Overcome Fatal Flaw At BMW Championship
1 year agoHe doesn't exactly fit the same billing as many of the recent wunderkinds that have lifted the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year trophy, but for many, 35-year-old Eric Cole has the best case going as 2023's top newcomer. Cole has attained this status through a stellar run of approach play and one of the hottest putters on the PGA Tour, but there is one main weakness that has held him out of the winner's circle in his breakout season. Cole ranks near the bottom of the pack in both strokes gained off the tee and driving distance, and around a track like Olympia Fields, those deficiencies could well be his undoing. One look at the 2020 leaderboard will show you how important total driving has been around this golf course historically, so Cole will have to perform well above his off-the-tee baselines if he wants to keep pace with the big guns at the top of the betting board. With nine consecutive made cuts, however, he hasn't given us sufficient reason to doubt him, so we'd be very weary about going full fade on the veteran rookie.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour