Austin Eckroat Leads at Olympic By One (Golfweek photo)
SAN FRANCISCO, California (July 24, 2018) — Oklahoma State rising sophomore
Austin Eckroat played brilliantly at the Olympic Club’s difficult Lake Course on Tuesday, tearing up the U.S. Open venue for a 6-under par 65. Eckroat currently leads the Pacific Coast Amateur by one shot after 18-holes of play.
“Front nine played pretty solid, two birdies and a bogey,” said Eckroat, who has been on fire as of late, helping the Cowboys win the 2018 NCAA Championship in May, and finishing runner-up in the Oklahoma State Amateur last week, just behind childhood friend and college teammate
Hayden Wood.
“After that, I really played well on the back nine. I only made one putt that was a shock, a long putt on the back nine but other than that everything else was solid. Made 15-footers and played really well.”
A 65 was not the only notable achievement coming from Eckroat’s pairing this morning. His playing partner, Vanderbilt’s
Will Gordon lit up the thick San Francisco fog with some fireworks when he holed his tee shot on the par-3 15th hole, adding to an already impressive round.
“I had no idea,” said Gordon.
Eckroat added, “We were walking up to the green and we didn’t see a third ball. He (Gordon) asked ‘Did I hit it over?’ and I was like ‘I think you made it.’ Then I saw it in the cup and we kind of celebrated together.”
Gordon is currently in a T-3 with five other golfers, including another member of the very well represented Oklahoma State team, Hayden Wood. Wood, the recent Oklahoma State Amateur champion posted a 4-under-par 67. A third Oklahoma State player,
Matthew Wolff, managed a 68 and sits three back.
Finishing a shot back of the leader on Wednesday was University of Houston golfer
Emmet Oh. Oh finished his afternoon hot, making birdies on his final three holes.
“There aren’t many places better than this on Earth,” explained the 2017 PNGA Amateur Champion of the Willie Watson-designed golf course. “I’m really happy to be playing here this week… You hear stories about this place and everything really lives up to the hype.”
Oh plays for Alberta Golf in the team portion of the event, named the Morse Cup after Samuel F. B. Morse, founder and developer of Pebble Beach Company and Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Alberta Golf currently leads the Morse Cup at 5-under, a stroke better than Washington State Golf Association. Both teams are followed by the Southern California Golf Association at 2-under-par.
Players will begin play once again tomorrow at 7:30 AM PT, with the final pairing leaving the first tee at 12:20.
ABOUT THE Pacific Coast Amateur
Although its present history only dates from
1967, the Pacific Coast
Amateur Championship's roots make it one of
the
oldest amateur
golf championships in American history. The first
tournament was
held on the links of San Francisco Golf Club at
The
Presidio, April 24-
27, 1901. Championships were held annually
through 1911, all being
conducted in California except for the 1909
championship, which was
held at Seattle Golf Club in Washington. The
Pacific Coast Amateur
then ceased to exist, only to be reconstituted at
Seattle Golf Club on
August 10-12, 1967 with the Pacific Northwest,
Northern California,
Southern California, Oregon and Arizona golf
associations
participating.
Today, 15 member Pacific Rim golf
associations comprise
the Pacific Coast Golf Association. Players can
be
invited to this 72-
hole stroke play event by their Pacific Coast G.A.
member golf
association, or as an individual.
View Complete Tournament Information