Eckroat earns first PGA win by taking Cognizant Classic
Austin Eckroat waited a long time to become a winner on the PGA Tour. Another day didn't hurt.
Eckroat got the first victory of his tour career Monday, topping Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee by three shots to win the weather-delayed Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.. Among his prizes: $1.62 million along with tour status for two years and a trip to the Masters for the first time.
Eckroat shot a final round of 4-under 67, finishing at 17-under 267.
“This has always been my dream to win on the PGA Tour,” Eckroat told Golf Channel after finishing off his first tour victory in 50 career starts.. “And just to win, I haven't won since 2019 — it was a college event. It's just been so long. I'm just so happy.”
He left PGA National on Sunday night when darkness stopped play with a one-stroke lead and was never caught. Back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes protected his lead, and a 12-footer for birdie on the par-4 16th pushed the edge out to three shots.
Van Rooyen had his round of 8-under 63 on Sunday to finish at 14 under. Cameron Young (66), K.H. Lee (66), Shane Lowry (71), David Skinns (71) and Jake Knapp (66) all ended their rounds on Monday, all wrapping up at 13 under.
But nobody caught Eckroat, a 25-year-old who was a star at Oklahoma State before turning pro.
His most memorable tour moment, before Monday, likely was last year in the final round of the U.S. Open when he became the sixth player in that tournament's history to post a nine-hole score of 29. over Michigan State that clinched a share of a second straight Big Ten title.
Kansas spent the first three weeks at No. 1 and has been in the top 10 for three years.
Consecutive losses to No. 20 BYU and No. 11 Baylor last week, however, ended the Jayhawks' run as they fell seven spots to No. 14 in this week's poll, their worst ranking since hitting No. 15 midway through the 2020-21 season. The Jayhawks were in the top 10 for 55 straight weeks, which had been the longest active streak. Houston now has the longest active top10 run at 36 straight weeks.
• Jeremy Roach had 21 points and freshman Jared McCain scored 14 of his 16 after halftime to help No. 9 Duke (24-6, 15-4 ACC) pull away for a 79-64 win over host North Carolina State (17-13, 9-10) on Monday night.
• Jalen Bridges scored a career-high 32 points and 11th-ranked Baylor overcame a double-digit deficit in the final 13 minutes to beat visiting Texas 93-85.
Ja'Kobe Walter and RayJ Dennis each had seven points in a 21-2 run for the Bears (22-8, 11-6 Big 12) during a stretch when Texas missed 11 consecutive shots. The Longhorns also lost big man Dylan Disu to a left knee sprain after he went down with just over 11 minutes left.
Bridges was 8-of-11 shooting, including 6 for 7 from 3-point range. He also had nine rebounds. Dennis had 16 points and eight assists.
Max Abmas, the NCAA men's active career scoring leader, had a season-high 33 points to lead Texas (1911, 8-9).
Freshman JoJo Tugler, one of Houston's best defenders, broke a bone in his right foot, will have surgery and miss the remainder of the season.
It's the third season-ending injury for the Cougars. Sophomore wing Terrance Arceneaux tore his Achilles tendon in a game against Texas A&M in December, and reserve guard Ramon Walker tore his meniscus in practice about last week.
Tugler, a 6-foot-7 forward, was averaging 3.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 28 games this season in 16 minutes per game.
• Pacific fired basketball coach Leonard Perry after the team went winless in the West Coast Conference regular season.
The school announced that Perry would be reassigned to other duties at the school and associate coach Josh Newman will serve as interim head coach at the conference tournament.
Perry had a 29-65 record in three seasons for the Tigers. Pacific is 6-25 this season and lost all 16 conference games.
• Stanford and Iowa jumped up behind topranked South Carolina in
The AP Top 25 women's basketball poll as the top 10 got a shuffle on the eve of conference tournaments and Fairfield cracked the rankings for the first time in school history.
Stanford moved back up to No. 2 after a weekend sweep of Oregon State and Oregon. Iowa knocked off then-No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday behind Caitlin Clark, who became the NCAA all-time Division I scoring leader during the game. The Big Ten champion Buckeyes fell to fourth.
Fairfield (26-1), which entered the poll at No. 25, has won 24 straight games and is the only team in the country besides undefeated South Carolina with one or fewer losses.
The Gamecocks are in a familiar spot atop the poll after finishing their regular season undefeated for the second consecutive year.
USC was fifth, its highest ranking since 1994 when the team was fourth. Texas dropped three spots to sixth.
UCLA, LSU and UConn were next. N.C. State moved up two places to 10th, passing ACC regularseason champion Virginia Tech, which fell six places to 11th.
Fairfield became the fourth team from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to earn a spot in the Top 25, joining Saint Peter's, La Salle and Marist, whose last ranking was in 2011.
The Stags have already broken the school record for wins in a season and have two games left in the regular season. Fairfield has 14 true road victories which is tied with Saint Joseph's for the most in the country.
WOMEN
FAR WEST
E. Washington 72, Sacramento St. 59 Idaho 60, Portland St. 44
Montana 67, Idaho St. 65
Montana St. 67, Weber St. 65 N. Arizona 67, N. Colorado 61
AP TOP 25 POLL
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' women's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, and total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking.
1. S. Carolina (35)
RACE 1
300 —
Horse, Jockey
RACE 2
301 —
Horse, Jockey
Claimed —
RACE 3
302 —
Horse, Jockey
RACE 4
303 —
Record
29-0
Wt P
Wt P
Wt P
Pts Pvs
875
1/4
3.40
1/4
4.00
1/4
7.20
1
1 Mile (Turf). Waiver Maiden Claiming. Fillies and
Mares. 4 to 5 year olds. Claiming Prices $50,000-$45,000. Purse $37,000.
1/2 2.40 4.20
1/2 2.40 2.20
1/2 4.80 3.40
3/4 Str
3/4 Str
3/4 Str
Fin Odds
Marinas Tina, A Fresu 124 4 4-1 4-1/2 4-1/22-11/2 1-1/2 She's Muy Muy, Frey 124 3 1-1 1-1 1-1 1-1 2-41/4 Cameron Slough, Mldndo 124 2 3-1 3-1 5 5 3-ns I'm Still in It, Kimura 124 6 5-11/2 5 2-hd 3-1/2 4-3/4 Dowhateverittakes, Pereira124 5 2-1/2 2-1/2 3-14-11/2 5 One Arrow, Franco 122 1 6 DNF
:23.70 :47.71 1:12.60 1:24.80 1:37.24 Cloudy. Firm.
Dream Princess, Hrndez 122 3 1-1 1-1 1-11-11/2 1-43/4 Flatterwithjewels, Franco 122 5 2-1 2-1 2-32-51/22-83/4 Roman Empress, T Baze122 2 3-2 3-1/2 4-3 3-1/2 3-nk Hot Rod Mama, Alsagoor 122 1 5 5 5 5 4-1/2 A Broken Breeze, Mosqueira 122 4 4-21/24-21/2 3-14-11/2 5
:24.19 :49.37 1:13.82 1:26.44 1:39.37 Cloudy. Fast.
Time —
3 Dream Princess 2.10 5 Flatterwithjewels 2.10 2 Roman Empress 2.40 Daily Double (4-3) paid $6.80; Daily Double Pool $34,093. Exacta (3-5) paid $2.80. Trifecta (3-5-2) paid $6.50. Winner —
Sneaking Candy, Smith 124 4 1-1 1-1/2 1-1 1-2 1-11/4 One Time Mark, Herrera 124 1 3-1 3-1/2 3-1 3-1/2 2-1 Captain Choochies, Dettori 124 5 2-hd2-11/2 2-1 2-1 3-1/2 Palagio, Ayuso 124 3 5 5 5 4-4 4-71/2 Zihuatanejo, Kimura 124 2 4-44-21/2 4-1 5 5
:23.45 :47.55 1:11.36 1:23.58 1:35.89 Cloudy. Firm. 0.7 4.3 4.5 11.1
8.1 13.5
Time —
4 Marinas Tina (IRE) 2.10 3 She's Muy Muy 2.60 2 Cameron Slough 3.00 Exacta (4-3) paid $7.10. Superfecta (4-3-2-6) paid $8.04. Trifecta (4-3-2) paid $25.00.
Winner —
Marinas Tina (IRE) B.f.4 by Belardo (IRE) out of Pile Ou Face (IRE), by Exceed And Excel (AUS). Bred by Mrs Noreen O'Donovan (IRE). Trainer: Philip D'Amato. Owner: CYBT, Nentwig, Michael, Oetman, Gary and Pagano, Ray.
1 Mile. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Price $10,000. Purse $23,000.
Fin Odds
1.0 1.0 7.9 17.6 28.5
Dream Princess Dbb.m.6 by Bodemeister out of Humor Me, by Indian Charlie. Bred by Knowles Bloodstock,
Inc. (KY). Trainer: John W. Sadler. Owner: Hronis Racing LLC;
Dream Princess by Howard and Janet Siegel Racing LLC. Trainer: Steve Knapp.
1 Mile (Turf). Maiden Special Weight. 4 to 5 year olds. Purse $65,000
Fin Odds
2.6 2.0 1.3 9.7 15.6
Time —
4 Sneaking Candy 2.80
1 One Time Mark 2.20 5 Captain Choochies 2.10
Daily Double (3-4) paid $22.00; Daily Double Pool $19,871. Exacta (4-1) paid $18.60. Trifecta (4-1-5) paid $34.60. Pick Three (4-3-4) paid $29.60; Pick Three Pool $53,565.
Winner —
Sneaking Candy B.c.4 by Into Mischief out of Candavar, by Candy Ride (ARG). Bred by Mr. & Mrs. Larry D. Williams (KY). Trainer: Mike Puype. Owner: Williams, Larry D. and Williams, Marianne.
1 Mile. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Price $16,000. Purse $25,000.
Horse, Jockey
Claimed —
RACE 7
306 —
RACE 8
307 —
RACE 9
308 —
Claimed —
Horse, Jockey
Horse, Jockey
Horse, Jockey
Wt P
Wt P
Wt P
Wt P
1/4
6.20
St
20.40
1/4
4.40
1/4
1/2 3.40 3.60
1/4 8.40 6.40
1/2 2.60 2.80
1/2
3/4 Str
1/2 Str
3/4 Str
3/4 Str
Fin Odds
De Joria, Contreras 124 1 3-1/2 3-1/2 3-hd2-11/21-33/4 Midnight Silence, Van Dyke 124 4 5-35-41/2 1-hd 1-1 2-51/2 Half Nelson, Frey 124 5 1-11/2 1-1 2-1 3-2 3-hd Yvett's Surprise, Gnzlez124 3 6 6 5-1 4-1 4-31/2 Glory of Chrome, Franco 124 6 4-1 4-hd 6 6 5-31/2 Zzyzx, Herrera 124 2 2-1/2 2-1/2 4-2 5-1 6
:23.92 :48.47 1:13.65 1:26.65 1:39.92 Cloudy. Fast.
Granny Budgie, Espnza 122 8 7 6-1/2 5-1 4-1/2 1-3/4 She Is Romantic, Dettori 122 5 5 7-3 6-hd 5-1/2 2-1 Invincible Molly, Kimura 122 1 8 3-hd 3-11/2 3-1 3-11/4 Elegant, Hernandez 122 2 1 1-1/2 1-hd 1-hd 4-hd April Vintage, Prat 122 7 42-11/2 2-11/22-11/2 5-3/4 Highlands, Boulanger 122 6 6 8 8 8 6-nk Madison Rae, Mldnado 122 4 2 5-1/2 7-11/2 7-1/2 7-1/2 Ms Brightside, A Fresu 122 3 3 4-2 4-2 6-2 8
:22.21 :44.92 :57.36 1:09.67 Cloudy. Firm.
1 Mile. Claiming. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $32,000-$28,000. Purse $40,000.
Cowboy Mike, Hrndez 122 3 3-1 3-1 3-2 1-1 1-6 Direct Line, Fresu 122 2 4 4 4 4 2-1 Departure, Frey 122 4 2-2 1-1/2 1-1/22-11/2 3-23/4 Lambeau, Maldonado 122 1 1-1/2 2-1 2-hd 3-1 4
:22.94 :47.50 1:12.24 1:25.07 1:38.01 Cloudy. Fast.
1 Mile (Turf). Maiden Claiming. 3 year olds. Claiming Prices $50,000-$45,000. Purse $37,000. 2.1 2.6 8.0 2.7 18.6
5.1
Time —
1 De Joria 2.60 4 Midnight Silence 2.60
5 Half Nelson 4.20
Daily Double (3-1) paid $17.60; Daily Double Pool $27,371. Exacta (1-4) paid $8.20. Superfecta (1-4-5-3) paid $16.22. Trifecta (1-4-5) paid $55.60. Pick Three (3-3-1) paid $16.90; Pick Three Pool $58,560.
Winner —
De Joria B.m.5 by California Chrome out of Gorgelicious, by More Than Ready. Bred by CDM Bloodstock, BGT, LLC, Patrick H.Payne et al. (KY). Trainer: Jorge Periban. Owner: Tricar Stables, Inc.
Yvett's Surprise by Huston Racing Stables. Trainer: Gary Stute; Zzyzx by Morfin, Sergio and Tirado, Gustavo. Trainer: Sergio Morfin.
6 Furlongs (Turf). Allowance Optional Claiming. Fillies. 3 year olds. Claiming Price $100,000. Purse $67,000.
Fin Odds
9.2 6.4 4.2 1.9 4.8 18.7 12.2
7.1
Time —
8 Granny Budgie (GB) 4.80
5 She Is Romantic 3.80 1 Invincible Molly (GB) 3.80
Daily Double (1-8) paid $91.20; Daily Double Pool $25,267. Exacta (8-5) paid $68.50. Superfecta (8-5-1-2) paid $175.26. Trifecta (8-5-1) paid $395.60. X-5 Super High Five (8-5-1-2-7) ; X-5 Super High Five carryover $3,002. Pick Three (3-1-8) paid $102.00; Pick Three Pool $42,237.
Winner —
Granny Budgie (GB) B.f.3 by Massaat (IRE) out of Caledonia Duchess (GB), by Dutch Art (GB). Bred by Mickley Stud (GB). Trainer: Philip D'Amato. Owner: David A. Bernsen, LLC, Aldabbagh, Omar and Lambert, Jeffrey.
Fin Odds
1.2 1.9 2.7 6.7