“It's definitely a lifestyle change” – Eric Cole opens up about discovering diabetes and dealing with fluctuating blood sugar

Eric Cole recently said that although there was a lifestyle change due to diabetes, it was not the end of the world. He added that he was happy to share his story and connect with fans.

Cole burst onto the scene last year when he raked in seven top-10s, including a couple of runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour. He was awarded the PGA Tour Rookie Player of the Year for his remarkable season. However, the journey was not easy for the late bloomer.

Cole was born into a golfer's family and aspired to become one like his parents. However, when he was 17 years old, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The 35-year-old golfer was recently a guest on the 'On the Mark' podcast hosted by Mark Immelman. In the podcast, he candidly spoke about his life with diabetes. He said:

"I was very rarely sick or anything like that at a young age. So I didn't know what was going on. And it's definitely a lifestyle change. Other athletes are diabetics and it's something that you can live with. It's not the end of the world. There's a lot worse diagnosis out there.

"But it was definitely changed my day-to-day life. And it's cool though because a lot of times when I'm playing now, other people out there that are diabetics that kind of come out just to watch me. So it's kind of cool to share my story and hopefully connect with some fans along the way."

Speaking about the symptoms, Cole said he had started to get 'shaky, which was almost like feeling pretty nervous.

"So you feel like a little shaky, he added. "It's easy to be like a little confused and typically I might be unique in this but I could feel like tingling in my lips and tongue and stuff. So just like little symptoms that as you are a diabetic for a long time you kind of pick up and know like okay that's mean something's not right in case your sensor doesn't pick it up right away."

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What's next for Eric Cole?

Eric Cole will next compete at the Players Championship 2024, which begins on Thursday, March 14, at TPC Sawgrass. He is grouped with Ben Martin and Harry Hall for the first two rounds of the event. The trio will tee off from the first hole of the TPC Sawgrass on Thursday at 2:35 pm ET.

Cole has had a solid start to the 2024 PGA Tour season and has made seven cuts in nine starts. He has registered six top-25s, including a T10 finish at the Genesis Invitational. He will be looking forward to putting on a good show this week at the biggest event outside Majors.