After heavy rain hit PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Austin Eckroat found himself leading the tournament with a score of 15 under. By the end of the fifth day of play, he had completed eleven holes and emerged victorious with a final score of 17 under, marking his first win on the PGA Tour in just his 50th start.

On Sunday afternoon, he made two birdies before play was halted due to darkness. He continued his strong performance on Monday, finishing with a 4-under 67 to secure a three-shot victory. With his maiden win, not only did he win $1.62 million, but he also achieved another milestone: a breakthrough in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).

Austin Eckroat enters the top-50 in OWGR

Eckroat’s ranking in the Official World Golf Rankings soared significantly after he won the 2024 Cognizant Classic. Before this tournament, the golfer wasn’t even ranked among the top 100 golfers globally. He climbed an impressive 52 spots, moving from 101st place to 49th, all thanks to the 50.57996 he received with his win. This marks the highest ranking he has achieved in his golf career.

The 25-year-old finished with a total score of -17 over four rounds. Oklahoman in his first round scored 65. In the second round, he scored 67, followed by 68 in the third round. Finally, he posted 67 in the fourth round. On Monday, he defeated Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee by a margin of three shots.

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The four-time All-American champion has now earned PGA Tour playing privileges for the 2023–24 season and an entry ticket to several signature events. He also gets an invite to the 2024 Masters, competing for the third time in his career at Augusta National.

The last time Eckroat was in a major championship, he notched a tenth spot at the 2023 U.S. Open. Although Eckroat climbed the ranks drastically after his win, that’s not the case with every golfer winning a tournament. One of the LIV Golf pros expressed his frustration with the OWGR rankings despite being invited to the Augusta showdown.

Joaquin Niemann feels frustrated with the entire OWGR system

Niemann has been having a good year! He clinched the second LIV Golf title in Jeddah. In a post-match interview, he was regarded as one of the favorites to win the Masters this year, to which he gave a somewhat frustrated reply. He replied sarcastically, “How’s that possible? I’m 100th in the world.” 

The Chilean golfer is ranked 76th in the OWGR. Niemann has been very open about his feelings related to the ranking system, dearly followed in the golf world. After his LIV’s maiden win in Mayakoba, he shared his desire for major tournaments. 

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“It’s great to earn world ranking points, but it’s a bummer that I’m too far down the list to get into all the majors,” Niemann said. “It’s frustrating. Getting an invite from the Masters was a bit of a treat because one of my goals was to make it into the first major. You can qualify for the US Open, but that’s still not ideal. However, I do have a chance to get in,” said Niemann.

The decline in the OWGR rankings of LIV Golf Pros might persist until the rebel league receives recognition and inclusion for world ranking points. Make sure to leave your thoughts below regarding this.

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