Tiger deals with back spasms, cards 72 in return

He lost his parents and girlfriend in a plane crash. He spent time flipping houses to make ends meet. He was an alternate who wasn’t even supposed to be in the Rocket Mortgage Classic field. And now, he’s a PGA Tour winner.

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Austin Eckroat, as expected, had some butterflies on the first tee at the 2020 Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN. The Oklahoma State senior was one of two amateurs in the event through a sponsor's invite and his only previous PGA TOUR start was the U.S. Open in 2019. "I was really nervous on the first tee but my caddie (Stone Coburn) was more nervous, so that was calming to me," Eckroat said. "I necked the drive in the fairway, way up the heel, but it went straight. I was telling Stone, I just need to get a couple good swings in me, and I'll be good." He hit a 6-iron to 8 feet on his first hole, and though he missed the birdie putt, he said, "I was pretty much calm for the rest of the event." He made the cut after back-to-back rounds of 69, and he got to 9-under after a birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie stretch early on Saturday. And that's when it hit him. "I looked up at the scoreboard and it said T2," Eckroat said. "I was like, oh my God. Holy sh*t! I have a legitimate chance of winning this event." Eckroat did not win the tournament, but his former teammate and current roommate, Viktor Hovland, did. He is also great friends with another former Cowboy and PGA TOUR winner, Matthew Wolff. Wolff advised Eckroat that the competition on the PGA TOUR is very similar to college golf, and if you feel like you're playing well enough to win or be in contention, then you'll be in contention. "I was super impressed with him. To put four rounds together as an amateur, that’s really impressive because most amateur events are only three rounds," Wolff said. "He made the cut pretty easily so that was really nice. From there he kind of just kept the pedal down." With his family in attendance in Mexico, Eckroat made his first PGA TOUR cut and finished a remarkable T12 in the event. "I played really solid at the tournament obviously, but it's not like I played way better than I've ever played in my entire life," Eckroat said. "You grow up playing and you're hoping that one day you'll good enough and you want to believe that you are but you're never sure until you get out there. And I think this last week really helped me believe that." Wolff sent Eckroat a congratulatory text and added, "It just proves that when he’s playing well, he can play with anyone. I guess maybe everything hasn’t fallen in place for him in college and I’m sure he wanted to leave a little bit ago, but he’s going to get his chance and I like his chances." Prior to the PGA TOUR event, Eckroat got a chance to flash his talent at the PXG College Golf Showcase, which airs on Golf Channel on December 16 at 7 p.m. ET. He teamed up with collegiate rival Garett Reband (Oklahoma), and Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis and Brian Urlacher to raise money for the military. "Those two guys (Bettis and Urlacher) were good! They were also great guys and really fun to be around," recalled Eckroat. "It was funny to see their competitive spirit. It was cool to see that there's something about those guys when they get put on stage, and it was the same for us college golfers too. Once the cameras turned on, it was a completely different feel, everyone got better. It was a cool experience." Eckroat currently sits at No. 3 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking. A finish inside the top-5 would guarantee Korn Ferry Tour starts. Wouldn't that be a cool experience? "I never really dreamed of being an astronaut or a firefighter. I always dreamed of being a professional golfer. To have that right around the corner is pretty cool."

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