Golf

2024 PGA Tour: Austin Eckroat Wins World Wide Technology Championship

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Nov 12, 2024 / 7879 Views

Evan Walker

The turf of the El Cardonal at Diamante is fast acquiring the label as a unique design, and for the man who gave it shape. A Tiger Woods’ design, the par-72, 7452-yard layout in Los Cabos stands out in many ways, and for 25-year-old Eckroat, etching his name on the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship trophy matched the other storylines that swirled around his week in Mexico.

Austin Eckroat had enough fodder to inspire him on Sunday, November 10, as he pushed for his second win of 2024 on the PGA Tour. One shot back going into the final day, Eckroat’s single-shot win over Justin Lower while matching his career’s lowest score of 9-under 63 wasn’t just a pointer to the pitched battles for supremacy; the win also put him in a league that is hallowed.

By adding to his breakthrough at the Cognizant Classic in March, Eckroat can now be mentioned in the same breath as Scottie Scheffler (7 wins), Rory McIlroy (2), Xander Schauffele (2), and Hideki Matsuyama (2), among others, as proven champions with multiple victories this season.

Like his Golf on Sunday, which was pure and almost flawless, Eckroat displayed a mindset to match his craft as he responded to the comparison. “I’ve got a little work to do to really be at the same level, but it’s pretty special. Half a dozen guys won twice this season, so that’s a great achievement.”

Austin Eckroat wins 2024 World Wide Technology Championship

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Shooting a record 11 birdies on Sunday to add to his tournament tally of 30 and lead the field in this department, Eckroat also brought on track a season that seemed to have hit a plateau following his triumph in March.

With just the lone top 10 at the Wyndham Championship in 19 starts coming into the week, it was only appropriate that the turnaround happened at the venue where Eckroat prospered as a sophomore at Oklahoma State.

By putting together rounds of 68, 67, 66, 63 for the winning total of 24-under 264, Eckroat not only ended his stalemate and secured the win but also revalidated his 2024 season, allowing a throwback to 2019 when he won the Cabo Collegiate in Los Cabos.

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“There’s something about this place, I guess. It’s funny, before I won in Palm Beaches (Cognizant Classic) earlier this year, my last win was in Cabo, so it had been five years between wins. Hopefully, it means it’s going to happen more by winning in Cabo,” he said.

By securing his spot in the top 50 on the FedExCup Standings and the perks that come with the win, Eckroat has sealed his status for 2025. Now, he can look ahead and draw his check list as the season winds down.

Among the things to do, three feature prominently. Winning again on the PGA Tour, featuring among the elite teeing off at the finale Tour Championship in East Lake, and making the US Ryder Cup team that will take on Europe at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York.

Steeled by victory

When Eckroat won the Cognizant Classic, he had joked that it would open the floodgates. While he found himself chastened by the long and fruitless stretch that followed, the plateau also prepared him for weeks like in Mexico.

Not only did it validate the season again, it also strengthened his belief. “The second win kind of solidifies that you can win on the PGA Tour. There’re times you can’t just say it was luck this time, I’ve done it twice,” he said.

The manner in which he navigated his way through the week, and especially Sunday at the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship, made it clear that his win was no fluke; it was the result of his lessons from March 2024.

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Clear on what was required of him in a field as tight as the one he was up against, Eckroat willed, and his clubs delivered.

“The final round (at Cognizant), it was a similar day to where the ball was going where I wanted it to go, making the putts I needed to make… From start to finish I wasn’t too nervous. I can draw back to the last time I won; I’ve already done it, and it was comforting,” he said.

Winning in ‘Tiger land’

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Like scores of other Golfers, Eckroat grew up idolising Tiger Woods. Among his most vivid memories of the GOAT: watching Woods up close as an eight-year-old.

Southern Hills, Torrey Pines are part of Golf folklore, all of them screaming the headline, ‘Tiger, Tiger, Tiger’. For Eckroat’s impressionable mind, soaking in the former World No. 1’s exploits are part of the journey that defines him. And to win at the spot that has Tiger’s unmistakable mark, is surreal.

“To win at a place that he built, that’s just pretty cool. It’s awesome. He’s my idol, for sure,” said Eckroat.

Taking it on the chin once more

A win would have eased a lot of Justin Lower’s troubles. That’s the perspective of those watching from the sidelines. For Lower, the runner-up finish at the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship is an extension of what he’s had to put up it, but all with a smile.

Since he turned pro in 2011, Lower has lived life on the edge, and Sunday was another example of what could have been for the 35-year-old, who had the lead for 54 holes.

The eagle on the final 72nd hole ensured he embraced a career high with the runner-up finish, and the years of staying patient might finally be paying off.

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The list is long: 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and now. Lower walked the edge on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour, and irrespective of the outcome, he reemphasised that this is the job he has chosen for himself.

A win on Sunday would have lifted him from 95th on the FedExCup Fall Standings to 59th, but even the inability to finish in the top 60 and seal a spot in the first two Signature events of 2025 has made no difference to his bearing.

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Rather than mull on the missed chance, Lower, who had to cope with the trauma of losing two key family members in his boyhood, focused on what he needed to do to ensure better results.

“The driver’s been nice, it’s something I always struggle with. Honestly, if I could hit it a little better, I think I’d be all right, but it’s such a hard Game. To be good at all the time, that’s something I admire of the top guys like Xander (Schauffele), Scottie (Scheffler), JT (Justin Thomas), just kind of seems like they have it every week and it’s super impressive. So, just trying to figure out how I can do that,” said Lower.

Keep knocking till the door opens

Max Greyserman is certain he is destined for greater glories than the four top 5s he has notched in his last six starts on Tour. For a rookie, that’s an astonishing show of intent and talent, but the 29-year-old has drawn up the to-do list as he goes into a break to reflect and recuperate.

Back-to-back sole second at the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship, followed by the T2 in Japan at the ZOZO Championship and the sole fourth in Mexico, Greyserman has proved himself across conditions and continents against quality fields.

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It’s just that he needs to bridge the gap between himself and the summit. The distance might not be much, but it has to be conquered in his quest for glory.

“I’ve been playing some really solid golf, but need to play better golf, so that’s the moral of the story. But the good is to finish near the lead, but not good enough to win so I need to play better… I need to hit a little better, give myself better opportunities closer to the hole. I’ve been putting pretty well, but it just needs to be a little bit better. Not far off from a win and hopefully it will come soon next year,” said Greyserman.

Fight to the finish

Like Justin Lower, life’s been a roller-coaster for Joel Dahmen. From his return to golf following a brush with cancer to contending on the golf course in the battle to keep his card, and a lot more, Dahmen is a quintessential fighter.

Hovering near that magical mark of 125, Dahmen is 121 after the T14 finish in Mexico, and the man is calling upon his ability to fight back once more. Finishing within the cutline of 125 will give Dahmen access to all full-field events in the New Year, and importantly, the freedom to plan his schedule.

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Else, it will be coping with a host of uncertainties, something Dahmen hasn’t had to worry about the last couple of seasons.

With two events left to make the grade, Dahmen is itching to make the following weeks count. “I want to keep my job out here. My story is not finished, so I would like to play a lot more golf. Two more weeks. This (finish in Mexico) helps a lot obviously, but two more weeks to keep moving up.”

The odds are daunting, but Dahmen isn’t known as one to back off. “It would mean a lot (to keep my card for 2025). It’s really hard to keep grinding when things aren’t going your way, almost harder than when you’re in contention.”

(Main and featured image: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)