Latest news with #Eckroat
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Travelers leader admits PGA Tour shock and taking inspiration from Euro hero
Austin Eckroat motivated by the magic of ex-landlord and Euro Ryder Cup ace Austin Eckroat admits the inspiration of Euro pal Viktor Hovland remains key in overcoming the shock and enormity of the PGA Tour. The 26-year-old displayed his obvious prowess by matching Scottie Scheffler's opening 62 at the Travelers Championship. Eckroat is a two-time winner on the main circuit having turned pro five years ago, but says he still has pinch-me moments amongst the elite. Progressed through Oklahoma State College, he and Ryder Cup Hovland are big pals and he used to rent a room from the Norwegian in his house. Eckroat explained: 'It's funny, a lot of Wednesdays I've felt really good going into the tournament and then Thursday comes around and it hasn't been there. I don't know if it's just the stress of playing in a PGA Tour. 'I wouldn't say they were role models, but my team-mates came out here immediately and had success, Viktor and Matt Wolff, and they kind of gave me the confidence going in at the time that I knew compete with them so I knew I could compete out here. 'But it's a different ball game out here. Week in, week out, you're having to grind. The mental aspect of it with playing in front of people with cameras and all that stuff, I'd say I was aware of it just because I had two buddies that had just done it, but it's still a shock when you get out here. 'This is one of my favorite events of the year outside of that, but then add in on top of that they gave me a sponsor exemption, gave me an opportunity to play with the best players in the world back in 2021 and just really thankful for Travelers and everybody involved in this event to give me that opportunity. I played well that week. I just have great memories coming back here, and it's definitely one of my favorite stops of the year. 'It's funny, the weeks that we play, they all run together now, but I remember doing a little media thing for Travelers and every now and then it'll pop up on my social media, like come back around. I don't have any logos on my shirt, I'm wearing just standard clothing. It's funny just looking back on what's happened since then. It's pretty cool. 'My college coach when I was at Oklahoma State used to always say, when you're off, you're never that far from playing good golf. And whenever you're on, you're not that far from playing bad golf. You're playing on a fine line and confidence plays a huge part in it. 'I've felt close all year and that's why I kept playing. I felt like a week was coming and it was just all going to click. I just needed one good round and I was going to be good. It just hadn't happened yet.'
The National
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The National
Rory McIlroy trails by two as Scottie Scheffler holds share of lead
Masters champion McIlroy had finished tied for 19th at the US Open over a punishing Oakmont course – but ended the weekend on a positive following a three-under-par final round, which was the joint best of the day. The Northern Irishman – who saw his driver ruled as 'non-conforming' ahead of last month's PGA Championship before then missing the cut at the Canadian Open – had been looking to build some momentum at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell as focus turns towards the Open at Royal Portrush. Rory McIlroy made an impressive start in Cromwell (Jessica Hill/AP) World number two McIlroy landed a birdie at the second and then sank two more ahead of the turn at the final PGA Tour Signature Event of 2025. After picking up another couple, a further birdie at the 17th – from the best part of 30 feet having hit a fine recovery shot out of the rough and over the water onto the green – saw him finish six under with 64 to sit in a tie for second, two shots behind early clubhouse leader Austin Eckroat. American Eckroat hit a fine eight-under round, which included an eagle at the par-three 13th and a sixth birdie at the 18th. Scottie joins Eckroat atop the leaderboard with a 62 (-8) of his own!👏 — TravelersChamp (@TravelersChamp) June 19, 2025 Scheffler was one of the late starters paired alongside newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun – who unlike his playing partner endured a perhaps expected tough round to finish three-over following successive bogeys on the closing two holes. There was, though, no such trouble for Scheffler, who never looked back after three birdies from the opening four holes. The American – who landed a third major title with the PGA Championship crown at Quail Hollow during May – then picked up an eagle on the 13th and another birdie at 15, before a bogey at the 17th was the only blemish on his eight-under 62. McIlroy's playing partner Keegan Bradley is also at six-under, having dropped a shot at the 12th, alongside Wyndham Clark, the 2023 US Open champion. 'Overall it was a good start to the tournament, and I think when you're in a two-ball like that and we can sort of feed off one another a little bit too, that's nice as well,' McIlroy said after his opening round. 'I just want to see some good golf and see some better shots. I think if you concentrate on that and you are concentrating on your quality of golf and concentrating on just trying to play to the best of your ability, the result will take care of itself. 'There's no point in thinking about the result right now. I'm just trying to play as good as I can and make good swings, and if I do that enough, more than likely I'll find myself in a position to have a chance to win.' England's Tommy Fleetwood carded a first round of 66 to sit in a group tied for sixth. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, runner-up at Oakmont on Sunday, finished one over following a double-bogey six on the 17th. Jordan Spieth WD during the first round of the Travelers Championship with a neck/upper back injury. — PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) June 19, 2025 Jordan Spieth withdrew during his first round because of a neck/upper back injury. 'I may have just slept wrong and then something came along. I don't know what caused it,' he said. 'I think it was just a random one-off that unfortunately got worse and bad enough on a Thursday that I didn't feel like I could continue.'
ARN News Center
10 hours ago
- Sport
- ARN News Center
Scottie Scheffler tied for Travelers lead after chasing a 59
After denying that TPC River Highlands is too easy, Scottie Scheffler was on pace for a round of 59 there Thursday in the opening round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn. Instead, the World No. 1 and defending champion carded an 8-under-par 62, tying Austin Eckroat for the 18-hole lead. At the $20 million signature event, the last of the regular season, Scheffler and Eckroat are two shots ahead of Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Wyndham Clark and 2023 Travelers champion Keegan Bradley (6-under 64). Scheffler was 9 under par through 15 holes at the par-70 course but settled for par at No. 16 and made his only bogey of the day at No. 17 after overshooting the green. Scheffler, who shot 59 once before in his PGA Tour career (2020 Northern Trust), said the potential milestone didn't enter his mind. "When I came out to do my warmup it was still pretty calm. By the time I got to the first tee, it was blowing 20 miles an hour and it was sustained at that for most of our round," Scheffler said of the conditions. "It maybe went down to 10, to 12 and then it would gust to 30. It was pretty challenging out there." The low round came one day after Scheffler said he didn't believe TPC River Highlands was too easy for tour professionals. The winning scores the past two years have been 23 and 22 under par. "I've always had a preference for the tougher tests that we have," he added Thursday. "That's always been my preference since I was a young kid. I like the challenge of playing difficult golf courses, and I like the challenge of playing against really good fields, as well." Earlier in the day, Eckroat put up a bogey-free 62 highlighted by an eagle-birdie-birdie stretch at Nos. 13-15. The eagle came on a 35 1/2-foot putt. The 26-year-old won twice on tour last year but is struggling this season, as he ranks outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup race. "It's funny, a lot of Wednesdays I've felt really good going into the tournament and then Thursday comes around and it hasn't been there," Eckroat said. "I don't know if it's just the stress of playing in a PGA Tour event, but this one, it was nice to feel good on Wednesday and then actually take it into Thursday." McIlroy continued his upward trajectory after missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open and tying for 19th at the U.S. Open. He made three birdies on each nine while keeping a bogey-free card. McIlroy played alongside Bradley, the U.S. captain for the upcoming Ryder Cup. "There was definitely a lot more 'Captain America' and 'USA' chants out there, which is cool," the European star said. "It's cool for Keegan to be here, be the U.S. Ryder Cup captain and obviously get all that support." Cameron Young is alone in sixth at 5-under 65, and a large tie at 4-under 66 included Norway's Viktor Hovland, England's Tommy Fleetwood and Australia's Jason Day. J.J. Spaun, playing alongside Scheffler after winning his first major title at the U.S. Open on Sunday, struggled to a 3-over 73. There is no 36-hole cut at the tournament. Jordan Spieth withdrew due to a neck/upper back injury that began to bother him on the practice range. Spieth said it was the first time he'd ever dropped out of a tournament early, on the PGA Tour or otherwise. "I've never withdrawn from an event ever, anywhere, at any level, so I didn't really know what to do," said Spieth, who was 5 over through 12 holes. "It just became too much. I didn't see it turning around until probably Saturday. These things kind of last an extra day, and no matter what I was going to do, it was just going to be -- I don't know, it's unfortunate. I've been doing everything right, and I think it was just very random."
North Wales Chronicle
14 hours ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Rory McIlroy trails by two as Scottie Scheffler holds share of lead
Masters champion McIlroy had finished tied for 19th at the US Open over a punishing Oakmont course – but ended the weekend on a positive following a three-under-par final round, which was the joint best of the day. The Northern Irishman – who saw his driver ruled as 'non-conforming' ahead of last month's PGA Championship before then missing the cut at the Canadian Open – had been looking to build some momentum at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell as focus turns towards the Open at Royal Portrush. World number two McIlroy landed a birdie at the second and then sank two more ahead of the turn at the final PGA Tour Signature Event of 2025. After picking up another couple, a further birdie at the 17th – from the best part of 30 feet having hit a fine recovery shot out of the rough and over the water onto the green – saw him finish six under with 64 to sit in a tie for second, two shots behind early clubhouse leader Austin Eckroat. American Eckroat hit a fine eight-under round, which included an eagle at the par-three 13th and a sixth birdie at the 18th. Scottie joins Eckroat atop the leaderboard with a 62 (-8) of his own!👏 — TravelersChamp (@TravelersChamp) June 19, 2025 Scheffler was one of the late starters paired alongside newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun – who unlike his playing partner endured a perhaps expected tough round to finish three-over following successive bogeys on the closing two holes. There was, though, no such trouble for Scheffler, who never looked back after three birdies from the opening four holes. The American – who landed a third major title with the PGA Championship crown at Quail Hollow during May – then picked up an eagle on the 13th and another birdie at 15, before a bogey at the 17th was the only blemish on his eight-under 62. McIlroy's playing partner Keegan Bradley is also at six-under, having dropped a shot at the 12th, alongside Wyndham Clark, the 2023 US Open champion. Out of position? Not for Rory McIlroy. He is 6-under @TravelersChamp 👀 📺 @PGATOURLIVE on ESPN+ — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 19, 2025 'Overall it was a good start to the tournament, and I think when you're in a two-ball like that and we can sort of feed off one another a little bit too, that's nice as well,' McIlroy said after his opening round. 'I just want to see some good golf and see some better shots. I think if you concentrate on that and you are concentrating on your quality of golf and concentrating on just trying to play to the best of your ability, the result will take care of itself. 'There's no point in thinking about the result right now. I'm just trying to play as good as I can and make good swings, and if I do that enough, more than likely I'll find myself in a position to have a chance to win.' England's Tommy Fleetwood carded a first round of 66 to sit in a group tied for sixth. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, runner-up at Oakmont on Sunday, finished one over following a double-bogey six on the 17th. Jordan Spieth WD during the first round of the Travelers Championship with a neck/upper back injury. — PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) June 19, 2025 Jordan Spieth withdrew during his first round because of a neck/upper back injury. 'I may have just slept wrong and then something came along. I don't know what caused it,' he said. 'I think it was just a random one-off that unfortunately got worse and bad enough on a Thursday that I didn't feel like I could continue.'
New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Scottie Scheffler tied for Travelers lead after chasing a 59
AFTER denying that TPC River Highlands is too easy, Scottie Scheffler was on pace for a round of 59 there Thursday in the opening round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn. Instead, the World No. 1 and defending champion carded an 8-under-par 62, tying Austin Eckroat for the 18-hole lead. At the US$20 million signature event, the last of the regular season, Scheffler and Eckroat are two shots ahead of Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Wyndham Clark and 2023 Travelers champion Keegan Bradley (6-under 64). Scheffler was 9 under par through 15 holes at the par-70 course but settled for par at No. 16 and made his only bogey of the day at No. 17 after overshooting the green. Scheffler, who shot 59 once before in his PGA Tour career (2020 Northern Trust), said the potential milestone didn't enter his mind. "When I came out to do my warmup it was still pretty calm. By the time I got to the first tee, it was blowing 20 miles an hour and it was sustained at that for most of our round," Scheffler said of the conditions. "It maybe went down to 10, to 12 and then it would gust to 30. It was pretty challenging out there." The low round came one day after Scheffler said he didn't believe TPC River Highlands was too easy for tour professionals. The winning scores the past two years have been 23 and 22 under par. "I've always had a preference for the tougher tests that we have," he added Thursday. "That's always been my preference since I was a young kid. I like the challenge of playing difficult golf courses, and I like the challenge of playing against really good fields, as well." Earlier in the day, Eckroat put up a bogey-free 62 highlighted by an eagle-birdie-birdie stretch at Nos. 13-15. The eagle came on a 35 1/2-foot putt. The 26-year-old won twice on tour last year but is struggling this season, as he ranks outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup race. "It's funny, a lot of Wednesdays I've felt really good going into the tournament and then Thursday comes around and it hasn't been there," Eckroat said. "I don't know if it's just the stress of playing in a PGA Tour event, but this one, it was nice to feel good on Wednesday and then actually take it into Thursday." McIlroy continued his upward trajectory after missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open and tying for 19th at the US Open. He made three birdies on each nine while keeping a bogey-free card. McIlroy played alongside Bradley, the US captain for the upcoming Ryder Cup. "There was definitely a lot more 'Captain America' and 'USA' chants out there, which is cool," the European star said. "It's cool for Keegan to be here, be the US Ryder Cup captain and obviously get all that support." Cameron Young is alone in sixth at 5-under 65, and a large tie at 4-under 66 included Norway's Viktor Hovland, England's Tommy Fleetwood and Australia's Jason Day. J.J. Spaun, playing alongside Scheffler after winning his first major title at the U.S. Open on Sunday, struggled to a 3-over 73. There is no 36-hole cut at the tournament. Jordan Spieth withdrew due to a neck/upper back injury that began to bother him on the practice range. Spieth said it was the first time he'd ever dropped out of a tournament early, on the PGA Tour or otherwise. "I've never withdrawn from an event ever, anywhere, at any level, so I didn't really know what to do," said Spieth, who was 5 over through 12 holes. "It just became too much. I didn't see it turning around until probably Saturday. These things kind of last an extra day, and no matter what I was going to do, it was just going to be – I don't know, it's unfortunate. I've been doing everything right, and I think it was just very random." — REUTERS
