After Olympics, golf in Rio has its growing pains

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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Brian Gay is the only previous champion of three to tee it up this week as the TOUR heads back to Bermuda for the fourth consecutive season. RELATED: Expert Picks | Sleeper Picks Port Royal Golf Club in Southampton has been the canvas for the previous three editions and will take up that honor again this season. Robert Trent Jones laid out the seaside tract in 1970 and helped bring it up to modern day speed in 1995. The last major renovation was in the 2008-2009 years by Roger Rulewich as he was prepping it for the Grand Slam of Golf (2009-2014). The Par-71 sits at 6,828 for the fourth consecutive edition. Hardly overpowering Port Royal provides only one Par-4 hole stretching past 440 yards. Of the three Par-5 holes two won’t climb past 520 yards and the longest only extends 553 yards. Wind is a constant in this part of the world and defends the course along with elevation changes and doglegs. Only 19 acres of fairway suggests controlling the ball out of the two inches of Bermuda/Zoysia will be a factor this week. The Champion Bermuda greens will be prepped for wind and weather and won’t reach speeds on the Stimpmeter that TOUR pros are used to navigating. Mother Nature will have her say as thunderstorms and rain are in the forecast for tournament days. For the third time in four seasons it will provide full prize pool money and full benefits to the winner. On the line outside of $6.5 million and 500 FedExCup points is a trip to Maui for the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January plus a stroll down Magnolia Lane come April. The previous three winners here have been aged in the 20s, 30s and 40s and were listed at +6000 or worse in pretournament odds. Need more details about the course? Read Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings and Adam Stanley’s The First Look. Please read Statistically Speaking as well! Giddy up! Let’s find Horses for Courses! Horses for Courses High Five -Players listed only if they are in the field for 2022- Brian Gay (Win: +20000; Top 10: +1400; Top 20: +600) Season 2021 champion at age 48. Defense of T12 after playing the final 54 holes 14-under. Claimed T3 in the inaugural event. Owns two rounds of 64 and two rounds of 65 from 12 career total. Patrick Rodgers (Win: +2800; Top 10: +225; Top 20: +200) Only returning player from 2022 top 10 (4th). Best finish in three starts included finding 55 of 72 GIR (3rd) plus just three bogeys and a double. Only hit 20 Fairways. Career best 64 (Round 2) from 12 attempts. Denny McCarthy (Win: +1600; Top 10: +150; Top 20: -145) Final round 63 led to T4 in 2021. Closed 65-68 in 2020 for T15. Kept the streak alive with T39 last season. Of 12 rounds 10 are par or better. Kramer Hickok (Win: +8000; Top 10: +650; Top 20: +300) Hard to ignore three visits all inside T30! All 12 rounds are par or better with 11 in the red. Sat one off the 36 and 54 hole leads in 2021. Cashed T15 on debut followed by T8 and T30 for 30-under aggregate. Russell Knox (Win: +4000; Top 10: +350; Top 20: +170) Breaking my own rule here to include a guy WITHOUT a top 10 payday from three visits! Scotsman sits No. 11 in all-time money cashing T12, T16 and T11. 68.33 scoring average with 10 of 12 rounds in the red. Debut round of 64 is the best. Odds sourced on Tuesday, October 25th at 2 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. Pipped at the Post Hank Lebioda (Win: +8000; Top 10: +650; Top 20: +300) Lefty closed with 63 on debut in 2020 for T3. Returned for T16 in 2021 before MC last season. Half of his 10 rounds are 68 or better. Harry Higgs (Win: +15000; Top 10: +1200; Top 20: +550) Only visit was 2020 where he was the 54 hole leader by two before finishing second on 20-under. David Hearn (Win: +25000; Top 10: +1600; Top 20: +750) Canadian opened T8-T8 before T39 last season. Of his 12 rounds nine are in the 60s including final round 66s in 2020 and 2021. Ryan Armour (Win: +6600; Top 10: +500; Top 20: +225) Either led or was one back after 18, 36 and 54 holes in 2021 before cashing T8. Matched his debut (T8) finish as first eight rounds were 70 or better. T67 last season included just one round below par. Alex Smalley (Win: +2800; Top 10: +100; Top 20: +225) T12 on debut (10-under) thanks to T12 Fairways, T4 GIR and only five bogeys. Seamus Power (Win: +2200; Top 10: +188; Top 20: -120) Bookend 67s on debut (T12; 10-under) with T12 Fairways and T12 GIR. Circled 18 birdies and an eagle against eight bogeys and a double.. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org

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How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four Segments. The first fantasy golf game to utilize live ShotLink data, PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf allows you to see scores update live during competition. Aside from the experts below, Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at this year’s Safeway Open in his edition of the Power Rankings. For more fantasy, check out Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers and Reshuffle. THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts below. Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create your team, click the “Leagues” tab and search for “PGA TOUR Experts.” After that? Pick your players and start talking smack. Want to represent the fans against our experts? FINAL 2019-2020 SEASON RESULTS FINAL 2019-2020 SEGMENT RESULTS

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