Austin Eckroat wins 2024 Cognizant Classic

Austin Eckroat (Youtube)

Austin Eckroat of Edmond, Oklahoma has won the 2024 Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This tournament previously had Honda as the primary sponsor, but now has a multinational information technology service and consulting company as the top advertiser.

Eckroat posted a four-round score of -17. The native of Edmond, Oklahoma had a first round score of six-under-par 65, second round score of four-under-par 67, third round score of three-under-par 68, and a fourth round score of four-under-par 67.

There was one hole that gave Eckroat all sorts of difficulty during the tournament. On the par-four 14th hole, Eckroat bogeyed the hole three times.

This was Eckroat’s first PGA Tour victory. Min Woo Lee of Perth, Australia and South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen were tied for second place at -14. Over the last three years, van Rooyen has won two PGA Tour events. He won the 2021 Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California, and the 2023 Worldwide Technology Championship.

Eckroat also had a significant rise in the Official World Golf Rankings. He jumped 52 spots from 101st to 49th. That is the highest ranking of his golf career.

We simply do not know much about Eckroat. He has only participated in two major events. That was the 2019 United States Open where he missed the cut, and the 2023 United States Open where he finished in 10th place. By finishing in 10th place at the Los Angeles Country Club a year ago, Eckroat qualified for the 2024 United States Open at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in North Carolina from June 13 to 16.