2024 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches: Top 10 power rankings at PGA National

Eric Cole won PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors last year by what we presume to be a thin margin over Ludvig Aberg, although award voting results aren’t released outside of declaring who’s the winner.

It would have been more of a slam dunk had Eric Cole pulled it out last year at the Honda Classic (now Cognizant Classic). He posted 67-66-66-67 to catch Chris Kirk and force a playoff at 14-under. No one else did better than 12-under.

Cole couldn’t make birdie on the par-5 18th playoff hole, ceding the tournament to Kirk.

Nonetheless, it was still the highlight of an extraordinarily consistent season for the 35-year-old former mini-tour grinder.

Cole finished the 2022-23 season with seven top-sixes and was a cut-making machine.

Last year’s was Cole’s PGA Tour debut at PGA National. However, he’s far from a newbie at this challenging layout.

“I haven't played it a ton. I played it in college, and then I live nearby, and I played some mini-tour events out here in the past,” Cole was transcribed in 2023 by ASAP Sports, “but I've probably played it maybe 15 times total. So a little bit.”

The Nova Southeastern University alum enters the week in good form coming off T-10th in his last start a couple weeks ago at the Genesis Invitational.

He’s up to five top-25 finishes already in 2024, though we’ve yet to see him truly contend for a title.

Three of his top-25s have come at Signature Events. That includes the Genesis, as well as The Sentry (T-14th) and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T-14th).

Cole ranks 25th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total (.951), as well as 29th in SG: Approach (.542) and 31st in SG: Putting (.552).