Austin Eckroat

Leapt from 101st to 49th on the world rankings with his maiden PGA Tour victory at March’s Cognizant Classic, winning by three from Min Woo Lee and Erik Van Rooyen, but had to wait until the end of May to be sure of an Open debut as a member of the top 50.  

A first title very nearly came last season at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where he lost by a stroke to Jason Day, while a month later he tied the US Open nine-hole record of 29 en route to a joint 10th place finish in what was only his second major championship.

Was a four-time all-American selection while at Oklahoma State University and at the 2021 Walker Cup, Eckroat recorded the biggest win of the week with his 7&6 victory over Ireland’s Mark Power in the concluding singles of America’s narrow 14-12 success.

Also represented his country in the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup against the Rest of the World.