Austin Eckroat fired a nine-under-par 63 in Sunday’s final round to win the PGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Championship by one stroke and secure his second win in 2024.
The 25-year-old was on fire as he made 11 birdies and two bogeys to move to 24-under 264 and secure a one-stroke victory at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico.
“That’s probably some of the best golf I’ve ever played, just from the start, making birdies, putts were going in,” Eckroat said. “Automatic is how it was out there.”
Already guaranteed his spot in the FedEx top 50 and access to all the PGA Tour Signature Events in 2025, Eckroat was playing with house money and the $1.296-million top prize is a nice bonus, as is the guarantee of an invitation to Augusta National next April.
“A great way to cap off the year,” Eckroat said. “This was really special.”
Eckroat had made the breakthrough last March at the Cognizant Classic, holding off Shane Lowry among others in his second full season as a PGA Tour pro.
“It’s crazy I only won by one today shooting nine-under par and starting one back,” Eckroat said. “Everybody was playing well. It was a good battle.”
Fellow Americans Carson Young and Justin Lower shared second on 23-under, with Lower closing out with a 72nd-hole eagle and Young making birdie, but Eckroat’s advantage meant he had the luxury of being able to make bogey and still secure the victory.
Seamus Power opted to sit out the week in Mexico and will return to PGA Tour action at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship next week. By not playing at El Cardonal, the Waterford man slipped from 52nd to 54th in the FedEx Rankings, but remains on course to qualify for both the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational at Riviera via the ‘Next 10’ – those ranked from 50th to 60th – at the end of the year, and as a former winner at Port Royal, will have designs on more than just shoring up his status.
Leave a comment