It took Austin Eckroat a long time to win on the PGA TOUR. Waiting one more day didn’t hurt.
After the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches was postponed due to bad weather on Monday, Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee were defeated by three strokes, giving Eckroat his first TOUR triumph. Among his winnings were $1.62 million, his largest payout in his golf history, two years of TOUR status, and his first trip to the Masters.
Eckroat finished at 17-under 267 thanks to a final round score of 4-under 67.
“My aim has always been to become a champion on the PGA TOUR. Just to win, I hadn’t triumphed since 2019 and it was a collegiate competition. Just how long has it been? I’m just overjoyed.” Eckroat told Golf Channel.
With a one-stroke lead, he departed PGA National on Sunday night when play was suspended by darkness and was never caught. His lead was maintained by back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes, and a 12-foot putt for birdie on the 16th par-4 hole moved the advantage out to three shots.
“I simply kept telling myself that there was a reason I had placed myself in this situation. I wish to do this.”
On the 18th par-5, Eckroat took a lead and put water out of play by laying up, knowing that all he needed to do was stay out of trouble to complete his first victory on the Tour in 50 career starts. He won it all with a simple par.
Eckroat remarked, “I was just really happy that I could perform in the situation.”
Van Rooyen finished at 14 under after his 8-under 63 round on Sunday. After finishing their rounds on Monday, Cameron Young (66), K.H. Lee (66), Shane Lowry (71), David Skinns (71) and Jake Knapp (66) all finished at 13-under. In the five holes he played on Monday, K.H. Lee made three birdies.
However, Eckroat, a 25-year-old who was a standout player at Oklahoma State University before to turning pro, was unstoppable.
Prior to Monday, his most notable TOUR moment was perhaps during the U.S. Open final round the previous year, when he became just the sixth player in the tournament’s history to record a nine-hole total of 29. With a 5-under 65 and a tie for 10th place finish at 3-under, Eckroat guaranteed his spot in this year’s U.S. Open.
He also has the first major of the season ahead of him. Next month, he will visit Augusta National, making stops en route to Magnolia Lane at THE PLAYERS Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.
In nine TOUR tournaments this season, Eckroat became the fourth first-time winner, after Nick Dunlap, Matthieu Pavon, and Knapp. “I’m just really happy with how I handled it,” Eckroat said.
Knapp, who won in Mexico last week, has now finished in three of his ten career PGA TOUR outings in the top five. He has made approximately $2.5 million.
“I was happy with how I managed everything this week” Knapp told Golf Channel.
The final round had to be postponed for three and a half hours due to a rainstorm that delivered lightning and about two inches of rain to the area on Sunday afternoon, necessitating the Monday completion. Out of the 68 players that qualified, 42 completed their rounds on Sunday, meaning that 26 came back on Monday to play one to thirteen holes.
Billy Horschel had a brief day. He had to return the following Monday to play the par-5 last hole because he was unable to reach the 18th tee before the horn blew to end play on Sunday night. After missing a 9-foot birdie putt, he finished in 15 minutes with a par.
Horschel finished at 12-under after making six straight birdies on Sunday afternoon, propelling him into the mix. Along with Keith Mitchell, Peter Malnati, Alex Noren, Andrew Novak, Kevin Yu, and Martin Laird, he finished tied for 9th place.
