PGA Tour Rookie of the Year: 'Steady Late Bloomer' Kol vs 'Final Winner Rookie' Abery

Two-Way Contest Expected... December Tour Member Vote to Decide

The battle for the PGA Tour 2022-2023 season Rookie of the Year is heating up between Ludvig ?berg and Eric Cole. The consensus is that the award is likely to be decided between these two.

Ludwig Avery [Photo by AP] [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 25th, American golf media outlet Golfweek named Eric Cole (USA) and Ludvig ?berg (Sweden) as the frontrunners for this season's Rookie of the Year. Another golf publication, Golf Digest, also predicted last week that "this year's Rookie of the Year race has been narrowed down to a competition between these two."

The Rookie of the Year for the 2022-2023 season, which concluded with the RSM Classic on the 20th, will be decided by a vote among tour members, with the winner expected to be announced in December.

?berg, a 24-year-old Swedish national, claimed a victory trophy this season and jumped to 32nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, up from 53rd.

Turning professional in June, ?berg won his first trophy at the PGA Tour finale, the RSM Classic, held on the 20th at the Sea Island Resort Seaside Course (par 70, 7,005 yards) in St. Simons Island, Georgia, USA. This achievement came in his 16th PGA Tour start.

Eric Cole [Photo by AP] [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Cole competed in 37 tournaments this season, finishing in the top 10 seven times, including two runner-up finishes. Although he has yet to lift a winner’s trophy, his earnings have reached $5,457,030.

Born in 1988 and now in his mid-30s, Cole turned professional in 2009 and spent years competing in regional small tours before achieving top rankings on the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit, in 2022. This earned him entry into the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season as a late bloomer.

While Cole is praised for his consistency, ?berg is regarded as having a stronger upward trajectory since mid-season. However, since recent PGA Tour Rookie of the Year awards tend to value consistency more, Golfweek projects a higher likelihood of Cole winning the honor.