Who Is ‘Rookie of the Year’ Eric Cole’s Caddie? Meet Reed Cochran, the Mastermind Behind the 36YO Pro

It took 13 years for Eric Cole to get his PGA Tour card and make a name for himself, just as his mother Laura Baugh has done on the LPGA Tour. During the struggling times, Cole made incredible starts on mini-tours and was known as one of the legendary players. After getting PGA Tour membership in 2022, the 2023 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year partnered with a Kentuckian for a successful and fresh debut on the American circuit.

Needless to say, the 36-year-old pro’s success on the PGA Tour would not have been possible if Reed Cochran had not caddied and supported him on the course. Seeing his rise on the Tour, being curious about Cochran’s life is inevitable. So who is Reed Cochran and what is his special connection to golf?

Golf runs in Reed Cochran’s family

After the birth of Ryan Cochran, Jackie and Russ Cochran welcomed their second son, Reed Cochran, in the year 1986 in Kentucky. It was not always decided that the second son of the Cochran family would move on to be a caddie. However, Reed Cochran took up golf through the influence of many people, including his father Russ, and his older brother, Ryan Cochran. How so?

Interestingly, Cochran’s father was a PGA Tour professional golfer and won once on the Tour at the 1996 Western Open and at the Senior Open Championship in 2011 as a PGA Tour Champions member. Recently, the pro made his 600th start on the PGA Tour as he was paired with Cochran’s employer, Eric Cole for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Senior Cochran was hesitant at first but later gave in to Cole’s request.

On the other hand, the caddie’s older brother, Ryan, used to play golf at the University of Florida. His younger brother, Case Cochran, also played the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and made his PGA Tour debut at the 2014 HP Byron Nelson. Cochran also has a younger sister, Kelly Marie Cochran, who, interestingly, isn’t as involved in golf as her other siblings.

Out of all the Cochran brothers, Reed Cochran was the only one who didn’t take up golf professionally but rather chose to take up caddying duties, as he used to caddie for his father as well. But caddying was not what Cochran wanted to pursue. There was another thing that took up his interest at an early age.

Caddying wasn’t always Reed Cochran’s dream

Before Reed Cochran took up golf as his main career path, the Kentucky native was much more intrigued by the idea of becoming a lawyer. Apart from playing golf with his father and brother, the caddie took up an interest in law and political science. Thus, in August 2004, Cochran enrolled at the University of Florida, and unlike his older brother, he started studying political science.

After four years, Cochan graduated from FSU in 2008 with a degree in his hands. However, he did not take another step to fulfill his dream for the next two years. There was a time between 2008 and 2010 when Cochran did not continue his education for undisclosed reasons. But then he became a student at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law in August 2010.

He pursued his degree there and after graduating in May 2013 with a Juris Doctor of Law degree, he started working at the Edwards & Kautz law firm in Paducah, Kentucky. However, a couple of years later, Cochran shifted his career trajectory and started working with Curtis Luck sometime in 2020 as his bag man.

Luck was the second employer of Cochran, as his father was the first one to hire him as a looper. Through his decade-long experience with Russ Cochran, the caddie was well-versed with the job and what it took to win a tournament. Which evidently helped him grow his career as a bagman.

How many career wins has Reed Cochran achieved?

The first-ever victory Reed Cochran tasted was a special one and one for the family. It was at the 2011 Senior British Open when Cochran was on a summer break from law school. His father attributed much of this victory to Reed Cochran, as he expressed that the caddie helped him to stay relaxed and was a lucky charm.

The entire Cochran family was present at Walton Heath Golf Club except the youngest daughter and it became a huge moment for them to watch Russ lift the trophy while Reed Cochran assisted him to it. Another victory Cochran achieved was with Curtis Luck in 2020. Interestingly, it is the only notable win in Luck’s career, and that came with Cochran.

The looper assisted Luck to a win at the 2020 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. A good two years later, Cochran then partnered up with Cole right before he earned the PGA Tour membership. With Cole, Cochran has not yet won any events. The pair, however, had seven top-10 finishes in the 2023 season but had a slow start in 2024.

Looking over his professional career, Cochran enjoys a peaceful life with his wife, Trista Michelle Neihoff (who married in April 2017), in Lexington, Kentucky. The couple resides there as Reed Cochran makes his way on the PGA Tour to card the third victory of his caddie career and move forward with Cochran’s legacy in golf.