Austin Eckroat gets first PGA Tour win he’s been waiting for | Golf Central | Golf Channel

The Golf Central team breaks down the key moments from Austin Eckroat’s first-ever PGA Tour victory at the Cognizant Classic before Eckroat discusses the significance of the victory. #GolfChannel #GolfCentral #AustinEckroat
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Austin Eckroat gets first PGA Tour win he’s been waiting for | Golf Central | Golf Channel
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golf Central on YouTube is brought to
you by the Paradigm AI smoke woods and
irons from Callaway well in case you
missed it let’s just look at some of the
fine moments from our champion at the
cogman classic in the Palm Beaches
earlier today this was his approach on
12 R yeah hit a beautiful t- shot there
and then carried it just past the
hole and a really good spot to be
putting for birdie from there Iron play
was extraordinary it really was that
gave him a two shot lead over mid with
now on 16 this was in the heart of the
bear trap and pretty much closed the
door on the rest of the field now this
one is not stoned dead but it might have
been the best iron shot of the entire
day given that whole location that was
terrific and the pressure the pressure
of coming through the bad trap with the
lead yeah he had hit a bad putt at 14
actually the first bad putt of the day
but came back and rolled it really
nicely to finish off his round and that
gave him a very comfortable three shot
lead walking up on third 18th T in this
for a tap in par to finish his final
round and in his 50th PGA tour start
Austin nekro becomes a champion on the
PGA tour for the very first time and
joins this list of firsttime tour
winners to pick up that title at this
event the cognizant classic you can see
since 2019 we’ve had four firsttime
winners dating back to Keith Mitchell um
and Austin ekra is your latest this year
in 2024 so he met with the Press
following his victory let’s hear what he
had to say Austin this is your first win
on tour an exciting day with a unique
Monday finish can you just share where
you are emotionally right now and your
excitement to have a win on on your belt
yeah I’m really not sure how I feel yet
um haven’t really settled down um but
just super excited and you know I’ve
been waiting for this moment my whole
life and I really uh don’t have a whole
lot of words for it right now but super
excited this one gets you to number 17
in the FedEx topic gets you into the
remaining Signature Events the Masters
um I know you’re excited about some of
those upcoming events so can you share
what you’re looking forward to next yeah
I’m looking forward to this afternoon
and evaluating my schedule and seeing
you know what the rest of the season’s
going to hold and um you know this just
a great opportunity upcoming with you
know what the win does for me and um
just you know the job security I gain
from that as well just there’s a lot
that I really you know that this got got
for me so we’ll open to questions we
start with Paul Austin kind of a unique
situation having to finish on a Monday
sit on a lead for two days basically
what did you spend yesterday evening
doing as you prepped for this yeah I um
ate some dinner and then
uh basically went to bed I mean there
wasn’t really a whole lot of time in
between the the delay and then I had to
get up early this morning and come right
back out so there really luckily there
wasn’t a whole lot of time to think but
um you know I was just trying to keep
myself distracted I played some seduko
on my phone and uh that was it
so obviously I’m sure you wanted to
birdie 10 you don’t get that and
suddenly some guys are kind of right in
the mix there how big were the birdies
then on 12 and 13 to kind of steady you
yeah those are those are definitely the
biggest birdies um you know missing the
one on 10 you’re kind of feeling like
you lost a shot and um I wasn’t quite
sure what the guys behind me were doing
yet I hadn’t really looked at that many
scoreboards at that point um but then
once I you know saw the leaderboard and
made the birds on 10 or 12 and 13 you
know I knew I had a able lead and um you
know those are just very important for
this you know get in a little cushion
before you get into the bear trap I was
talking to you to your dad he was
telling me kind of about you guys
playing all the way back at when you
were five six years old and he stayed a
big part of your your pro career what
has his impact been on getting you to
this point yeah I mean he’s the one that
got me involved in the game My at is and
um he’s uh you know he’s been my swing
instructor since um
he might be I’m I’m the second most
excited person in the world right now
he’s definitely the first um it’s just
been you know we’re it’s been our Dream
him his and I together since I was you
know three is playing professional golf
and winning on the PJ tour so it’s just
a dream come true for both of us yeah
Tom Right Austin I’m sure most most
professionals Envision this moment the
first first championship uh what what
what did what were those Visions like
you and does this live up to that oh it
for sure lives up to the you know the
first win um you know you can’t really
visualize what it be you mess around
whenever you’re kid on the putting green
having putts to win you know PJ tour
events and win The Masters and stuff
like that but um you know coming in
today I’ve been in this situation before
you know at the Byron Nelson to where I
had a lead and um you know I didn’t
really know what to expect what the
feeling would be I knew finishing second
was heartbreaking but you know you know
I I’m not real sure I I still don’t
think I’m sure how I feel yet I’m I know
I’m excited that’s it what was the most
nerve-wracking shot and I asked because
yesterday Eric Van royan said he he’s
not here but he said if he was within
two shots as the leaders was on 15 he’d
come back knowing what the bear trap can
do yeah were the were any of those bear
TR were those I know you had a birdie
birdie in there but what was the most
nerve-wracking shot a moment yeah I
think 15 with where the wind dire was
and the number I had it wasn’t that
uncomfortable um for me at that moment
where the you know if I would have been
struggling with my ball striking I think
that would have been really but having
to hit three wood today on 16 I didn’t
really love the idea of that cuz I’d
been hitting three iron all week and
then the wind direction was different
this morning it was into the wind so I
felt like I needed hit three-wood and
that was just a little uncomfortable but
um definitely the shot on 17 17’s the
most you know scariest t- shot I think
of the year I mean I it’s a tough
one Austin uh 17 under is the best score
for a player to win this event on this
tournament ever um has a reputation as a
tough challenge for professional golfers
why do you think you were able to go out
and score so well this week I just I
drove the golf ball really well and I
hit the irons really well so from T to
Green I was able to stay out of trouble
and I think that’s the hard part about
this golf course is there’s so much
trouble you’re bound to make a double
you know you’re you’re bound to hit a
ball in the water and have a disaster on
a hole but I avoided that all week and
um you know
really outside of that it’s not like I
was just going out and making six
birdies in a row it was just very simple
birding every once in a while it was um
you know I just kept the game simple
that was really all there were a lot of
guys that were 10 under and better were
you taking notice of that on the
leaderboard there was a pack building up
behind you throughout yeah I was I’m not
a I I look at the leaderboards when I’m
playing I’m not afraid to look at them
so I I noticed there was guys close and
then you know and I was on 15 I saw them
M Le had gotten it 14 under and yeah I
think he was at 14 or maybe he was at 15
I saw what he was at and was like you
know I knew I wasn’t clear then um but
there was a lot of guys still in the
event especially with the bear trap up
coming so um yeah it was great to pull
away back to Paul you looked cool and
calm throughout that stretch is that how
you felt on the inside no no I was I was
shaking my boots from the moment I got
out here this morning so um yeah I just
try to keep it Cal to meaner I think I
do pretty well that in in all aspects
whenever I’m playing bad or good um but
I definitely didn’t feel calm on the
inside that’s for sure is that something
you actively think about staying calm
staying even ke your dad said you
definitely don’t get that from him so uh
is that something you’re actively
working on on the golf course is just
kind of something about your personality
where it just comes natural no I think
that’s just something about my
personality just comes natural I’m that
way in everyday life not just you know
on the golf course it’s just pretty stok
never too high never too low so um I
think it’s a blessing in golf though
we’ll wrap things up with Jeff uh Austin
here in the back uh in the fall we Fe
featured you on the turn and just wanted
to get your thoughts on how far you’ve
come since then and what that Journey
has been like yeah that you know I
really enjoyed being on that turn um it
was fun to you know not many people
probably knew who I was whenever it came
to the PJ tour and um it was cool to you
know have a spotlight on me for a little
bit and um you know I think it
definitely helped with situations like
this today you know I had cameras on me
all day today and you know last fall I
had him follow me around for a whole
fall season and um you know it’s a
little uncomfortable the first time you
did you do that so I’m I’m super excited
you know that I was able to have that
[Music]
opportunity