OT: There's a 65 year old playing in the PGA tour event this week (update)...

[MtNittany]

Russ Cochran is teamed with Eric Cole in New Orleans in the partner event. Russ's son is Eric's caddy and Russ has been sort a mentor to Eric.

I've met a lot of old tour players in my time and to get to see and talk to Russ nearly every day is nothing short of a pleasure. The guy is just a Prince. If everyone is like him, Paducah, KY must be a great place.

This will be Russ's 600th tour start.

 

[MtNittany]

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Russ Cochran will make his first PGA Tour start in over a decade at this week’s Zurich Classic in New Orleans.

The 65-year-old Cochran, who hasn’t played on Tour since tying for 41st at the 2013 Sony Open, is slated to team up with Eric Cole in the team event at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, just outside of New Orleans. Cochran is the father of Cole’s caddie, Reed Cochran.

A one-time Tour winner, Cochran plays sparingly even on the PGA Tour Champions these days. This year, he’s logged just three senior starts with a best finish of T-48 at the Chubb Classic last February. His last top-10 on the senior circuit came in 2018.

Since it switched to a team format in 2017, the Zurich has been no stranger to head-scratching competitors since Tour pros are allowed to partner with anyone, assuming their partner has some sort of Tour status or receives a sponsor exemption. Just last year saw David Duval and John Daly team up to finish last, 12 shots behind the next-to-last duo of Michael Thompson and Paresh Amin, a 43-year-old military veteran who had missed all 26 of his cuts on the GPro Tour and recently shot 42 over in four rounds of PGA Tour Canada Q-School.

Cochran is playing as a past champion member, not a sponsor invite.

Cochran’s lone Tour victory came at the 1991 Centel Western Open. He hasn’t played a full season on Tour since 2004, when he posted just two top-25s in 25 starts. His last Tour top-10 was a year before that, a T-10 at the 2003 Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

He’s had more success on the PGA Tour Champions, winning five times, most recently at the 2013 SAS Championship. One of those wins was a major, the 2011 Senior Open Championship at Walton Heath; a 25-year-old Reed Cochran was on the bag for his dad for that victory.

Reed attended undergrad at the University of Florida before going to the University of Kentucky for law school. He previously caddied for Curtis Luck before taking on Cole’s bag.

Cole is currently ranked No. 41 in the world rankings, and though he owns just one top-10 this year, he’s posted six top-25 finishes

 

[MtNittany]

<<<--- I hope Laura's down there so we see her on tv this week.

 

[Bwifan]

Russ Cochran is teamed with Eric Cole in New Orleans in the partner event. Russ's son is Eric's caddy and Russ has been sort a mentor to Eric.

I've met a lot of old tour players in my time and to get to see and talk to Russ nearly every day is nothing short of a pleasure. The guy is just a Prince. If everyone is like him, Paducah, KY must be a great place.

This will be Russ's 600th tour start.

Impressive... 600 starts on just the tour. Not sure I have played 600 rounds in my lifetime.

 

[BobPSU92]

FLAG.

 

[MtNittany]

Impressive... 600 starts on just the tour. Not sure I have played 600 rounds in my lifetime.

It's a grind.

I think Russ means a lot to Eric. Eric hasn't had it easy, and hangs out and plays w/ local mini-tour guys and Russ and Calc. Nick Hardy is out there every day he is, yet I've never seen them talk or play. But Eric is always w/ Russ and Calc.

Our greens were 14.5 the other day and Eric could still shoot 65 from the Blacks if he was there. He's really good. He shot 59 from the Blues once and disavowed it, saying he didn't putt out on a hole, because he just didn't want it known.

FFWD to 35 min mark below.

 

[MtNittany]

 

[MtNittany]

 

[SleepyLion]

I hope he shoots his age.

 

[MtNittany]

I hope he shoots his age.

He's come close before. 66 last year from the Blues. Russ reminds me of the subject of Bread's Guitar Man. He's just always looking for another place to play. It's a very admirable quality imo.

 

[MtNittany]

You picking up that flag Bob?

For those that know golf swings, the position Laura is in there is really cool. Her *** of course stands out, but the lag/hit delay she shows - to allow a 100 lb. woman to hit a golf ball as far as she did is amazing. It's a great *** picture, but it's an amazing golf swing picture as well.

 

[MtNittany]

Russ and Eric missed the cut by 2 w/ a double bogey on 17. In alternate shot, they made 7 birdies today, which I consider remarkable. Overall 69 best ball and 69 alternate shot. They had it 5 under w/ 2 to play in today's round.

I guess Russ hit it in the water on 17. Would have been cool for him to play on the weekend. He just would have gotten better and better as the old competitive juices started circulating.

The Champions Tour was bragging about Russ. How about finding a few sponsor exemptions for him if you were so proud of him. The guy can still play.