Austin Eckroat is a PGA Tour winner once more.
Eight months after winning the Cognizant Classic at PGA National, Eckroat fired a 9-under 63 to win the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico. He made 11 birdies during his final round and called it “some of the best golf [he has] ever played.”
The former Oklahoma State Cowboy began Sunday’s final round trailing Justin Lower, Nico Echavarria, and Carson Young by a stroke. But that small deficit did phase Eckroat in the slightest. Instead, he made a barrage of birdies, nine of which came over his first 12 holes. When he stood on the 13th tee, he held a three-shot lead and looked destined to grab the second PGA Tour victory of his career.
Yet, Eckroat, who finished at 24-under par overall, had to sweat somewhat over the final minutes. He made a bogey on the par-5 18th, which cut his deficit to two over Young, who was in the group behind him.
Young then played two gorgeous shots up the 18th and faced a lengthy eagle putt, which would have forced a playoff. But he missed on the low side, thus giving Eckroat the victory. Funny enough, Lower, playing alongside Young in the final pairing, made an eagle three on the final hole to finish in a tie for second, one stroke back. Both Young and Lower posted 7-under 65s, a tremendous final-round score. And yet, it did not prove to be enough in the end.
“I don’t know; it was automatic out there today, I guess, is how you could call it,” Eckroat said after.
“It’s crazy I only won by one, shooting 9-under par today from one back. Obviously everybody was playing well, it was a good battle.”
Since Eckroat finished among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings, he will not play in next week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship. He also has nothing to worry about regarding his status and schedule for 2025. But he now has another win under his belt.
“I think it kind of validates the season that I had, just a great way to cap off and end the year,” Eckroat added.
“Yeah, it was really special to do it at an event where the title sponsors, I’m an ambassador of their company. A cool week.”
Now, he has his sights set on 2025, which will mark a pivotal year in golf. The Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black on Long Island, and Eckroat hopes he can play his way onto the team. He no doubt has the potential to do so. After all, only a handful of players won multiple times this season, including Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Hideki Matsuyama. So, perhaps Eckroat will join Scheffler on the U.S. team next fall.
“I’ve got a little work to do to really be at the same level [as Scheffler and McIlroy], but it’s pretty special,” Eckroat said.
“As you say, half a dozen guys won twice this season, so that’s a great achievement.”
Indeed, winning the World Wide Technology Championship is a tremendous accomplishment. However, plenty of work for Eckroat in 2025 remains. And yet, if he can continue to play like he did on Sunday, plenty more wins, and perhaps a Ryder Cup spot, will follow.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
