PGA TOUR University On TOUR:  Austin Eckroat claims first PGA TOUR victory at Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches

PGA TOUR

 

Oklahoma State alum Austin Eckroat claimed his first win on the PGA TOUR at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, becoming the second PGA TOUR University alum to win on TOUR. Eckroat joins Ludvig Åberg who won the 2023 RSM Classic in November.

Eckroat’s first career victory stemmed from a third-round 68 to share the 54-hole lead with David Skinns and Shane Lowry. After a weather delay on Sunday pushed the final round into Monday, Eckroat finished his final nine at 2-under to win by three strokes. Eckroat’s win secured him TOUR status through 2026, entry into the remaining Signature Events this season, and a spot in the 2024 Masters and PGA Championship.

This is Eckroat’s second season and 50th start on TOUR after keeping his card via a top-125 finish in the 2022-23 FedExCup Fall Standings last year. Eckroat was one of four PGA TOUR University Class of 2021 alums to earn a TOUR card for the 2022-23 season from the Korn Ferry Tour. Eckroat’s accomplishments on TOUR include five total top 10s, highlighted by this victory and a runner-up finish at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson in 2023.

From fighting for his TOUR card to securing his first win, Eckroat reminisced on his journey saying: “Yeah, obviously I was in a situation last fall where I was trying to get into those elevated events and made sure I maintained my PGA TOUR status. Obviously, I think I missed all but one cut during that Fall Series, and to be a winner not six months later, it's insane. It's a big jump.”

Also in his second season on TOUR, Kevin Yu earned his third top-10 finish of the season after carding a bogey-free final-round 69 to finish T9. Jacob Bridgeman recorded a season-best T28 finish, along with Chris Gotterup and Mac Meissner who finished T35 and T53, respectively. Davis Thompson and Parker Coody shared a 6-under total to finish T47.

With a victory at the Cognizant Classic, Eckroat moved to No. 4 in the Aon Next 10, earning himself a spot in this week’s Signature Event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Joining Eckroat in the field is Ludvig Åberg, who also qualified for the event via the Aon Next 10. North Carolina junior David Ford will also compete at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, as he earned a sponsor exemption through his play at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup.

PGA TOUR University Alumni – FedExCup Standings 

Korn Ferry Tour

Texas alum Cole Hammer led PGA TOUR U alumni at the 117 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro, and earned his second consecutive top-10 of the Korn Ferry Tour season. Joining Hammer with four sub-70 rounds at Olivos Golf Club and sharing a T13 finish were Ricky Castillo and William Mouw. Mouw, who made his first weekend appearance at the Astara Golf Championship, claimed a season-best finish in Argentina.

Logan McAllister also notched a season-best finish, earning his first top-25 of the season to finish T18 alongside Sam Bennett. Trent Phillips, Ryan Hall and Quade Cummins each finished at 8-under to secure a T34 finish, with Hall’s performance marking his Korn Ferry Tour season debut. Cummins currently leads PGA TOUR University alumni with a perfect 5-for-5 made cuts this season. Connor Howe made his Korn Ferry Tour debut as a professional, shooting a second-round 6-under 64 to secure weekend play and finish T61.

In its final event of the International Swing, the Korn Ferry Tour will wrap up the six-event series in Santiago, Chile, for the Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank (March 7-10). The field will consist of 16 alumni: Bennett, Castillo, Hall, Hammer, Howe, McAllister, Mouw, and Phillips, in addition to Sam Choi, Reid Davenport, Noah Goodwin, John Pak, Garett Reband, Alex Schaake, Ross Steelman, Jackson Suber and Patrick Welch.

PGA TOUR University Alumni – Korn Ferry Tour Points List