PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Austin Eckroat waited a very long time to turn into a winner on the PGA Tour. One other day did not damage.
Eckroat obtained the primary victory of his tour profession Monday, topping Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee by 3 pictures to win the weather-delayed Cognizant Traditional. Amongst his prizes: $1.62 million — by far his largest golf payday — together with tour standing for 2 years and a visit to the Masters for the primary time.
Eckroat shot a closing spherical of 4-under 67, ending at 17-under 267.
He mentioned he was nervous Monday. He hid it properly, by no means giving up the lead.
“This has all the time been my dream, to win on the PGA Tour,” Eckroat advised Golf Channel. “And simply to win, I have never received since 2019 — it was a school occasion. It is simply been so lengthy. I am simply so completely happy.”
He left PGA Nationwide on Sunday evening when darkness stopped play with a 1-stroke lead and was by no means caught. Again-to-back birdies on the twelfth and thirteenth holes protected his lead, and a 12-footer for birdie on the par-4 sixteenth pushed the sting out to three pictures.
“I simply saved telling myself, ‘I’ve put myself on this place for a motive,'” Eckroat mentioned. “That is what I need to do.”
Eckroat laid up on the par-5 18th to guard his lead and take water out of play, realizing all he needed to do was keep away from catastrophe to complete off his first tour win in 50 profession begins. He made a simple par, sealing the win.
“I used to be simply actually completely happy I used to be capable of carry out within the scenario,” Eckroat mentioned.
Van Rooyen had his spherical of 8-under 63 on Sunday to complete at 14 underneath. Cameron Younger (66), Okay.H. Lee (66) and Jake Knapp (66) all ended their rounds Monday, wrapping up at 13 underneath. Okay.H. Lee made three birdies within the 5 holes he performed Monday.
However no person caught Eckroat, a 25-year-old who was a star at Oklahoma State earlier than turning professional.
His most memorable tour second, earlier than Monday, seemingly was final yr within the closing spherical of the U.S. Open to turn into the sixth participant in that event’s historical past to submit a nine-hole rating of 29. Eckroat shot a 5-under 65 and completed in a tie for tenth at 3 underneath — making certain he’d play on this yr’s U.S. Open.
The season’s first main awaits him now as properly. He’ll Augusta Nationwide subsequent month, with stops at Bay Hill and The Gamers alongside the best way to Magnolia Lane.
“The adversity of sleeping midround, I am simply actually proud of how I dealt with it,” mentioned Eckroat, who grew to become the fourth first-time winner in 9 tour occasions this season, becoming a member of Nick Dunlap, Matthieu Pavon and Knapp.
For Knapp, final week’s winner in Mexico, he has now had three top-five finishes in his 10 profession PGA Tour begins. His earnings are as much as about $2.5 million.
“I used to be proud of how I managed every thing this week,” Knapp advised Golf Channel.
The Monday end was wanted after a thunderstorm dumped almost 2 inches of rain and introduced lightning to the world Sunday afternoon, inflicting a 3½-hour delay within the closing spherical. Of the 68 gamers who made the lower, 42 completed Sunday — so 26 returned Monday to play someplace between one and 13 holes.
It was a fast day for Billy Horschel. He could not get to the 18th tee earlier than the horn blew to cease play Sunday evening, that means he needed to come again and play the par-5 ending gap Monday. He had a 9-footer for birdie, settled for par and was accomplished in quarter-hour.
Horschel — who vaulted into the combo with six consecutive birdies Sunday afternoon — completed at 12 underneath. He ended up tied for ninth, together with Keith Mitchell, Peter Malnati, Alex Noren, Andrew Novak, Kevin Yu and Martin Laird.
