Winner's bag: Putter switch sparks Austin Eckroat to victory at World Wide Technology Championship

Austin Eckroat returned to the winner’s circle for his second PGA TOUR victory of the season at the World Wide Technology Championship, firing a final round 9-under 63, to finish at 24 under-par for the tournament, one shot ahead of Carson Young and Justin Lower. The key to the victory: a change in putters resulting in a career week on the greens at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante.

Sitting 132nd in Strokes Gained: Putting for the season, Eckroat flipped the switch with a last-minute putter change in Mexico, ending the week fourth in Putts per Green in Regulation and a second win on TOUR.

After winning earlier in the year at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, gaming a Ping Redwood D66, Eckroat registered just one more top-10 – a sixth place finish at the Wyndham Championship. But, the move to a Ping PLD DZB Custom changed fortunes for the 25-year-old Oklahoma State University alum, who won the Querencia Cabo Collegiate as a Cowboy in 2019 at Querencia Golf Club in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Not one to be shy from switching putters, Eckroat played the Ping Redwood D66 for most of the season but has tested a PLD Milled Anser a few times during the year. This week in Mexico was the first time the custom Ping PLD DZB saw action.

"Yeah, this is actually my first win since I was 13 years old without the same exact putter (Ping Redwood D66)," Eckroat said after the win. "I've used the same Ping putter. I switch away from it, but every time I've won has been with that putter. This is my first win since I was 13 years old with a different putter, which is kind of crazy."

Eckroat carded 11 birdies and needed just 26 putts in the final round to hold off a jam-packed leaderboard. Despite three-putting the par-4 third hole at El Cardonal at Diamante, Eckroat ran off five consecutive one-putts to join Justin Lower at the top of the leaderboard at 20-under par. Eckroat took control draining three birdies in a row to start the inward nine and secured a comfortable walk down the 18th when he drained a birdie putt from close to 20 feet on the penultimate hole.

Even with a trophy the putter still hasn't secured a spot in Eckroat's bag going forward.

"It's definitely in the rotation, it's not safe yet, there's a good chance next time I play golf there'll be a different one in, but it felt very good this week," Eckroat said.

Check out the rest of the clubs Eckroat used for his second TOUR win.

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees @8.5)
Shaft: Project HZRDUS Smoke Green 70 6.5 (tipped 1 inch)

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees @14.25)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

Irons: Ping Blueprint S (3), Ping Blueprint T (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X 6.5

Wedges: Ping Glide Forged Pro (50-10S, 54-10S, 60-06T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: Ping PLD DZB custom

Grips: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord

Ball: Titleist Pro V1