Playing the Masters for the first time is a dream for anyone, but Austin Eckroat wanted the week to be over.
Nearly a month removed from winning his maiden PGA Tour title at last year’s Cognizant Classic, Eckroat’s game was “ not in a good spot going into” the season’s first major championship.
“I would say, not on edge, but I was anxious about playing Augusta,” Eckroat said Tuesday at PGA National, “and I think I had some issues in the golf swing that I was managing that weren't coming out whenever I was playing in other tournaments, but then I get there, all the emotions and everything, and I was a little exposed, honestly.”
“As a first-timer, I think it's honestly—I don't know if it's a little bit of a hazing thing, but you don't know anything until you get there, and the yardage book sucks. There's so many things that you have to figure out through experience.”
The former Oklahoma State Cowboy opened his Masters with a 74 and then followed that with a second-round 77. Afterward, he was ready to head home.
“It was a funny week,” he said. “I was embarrassed, honestly, with everything that went on and played poorly. It was a weird feeling. I had high expectations. I did not want to play Saturday.
“I was watching the cut line fall, and I was like, ‘oh, gosh, I'm about to make this cut. Oh, my gosh, I’m going to shoot 80 tomorrow.’”
Fortunately for him, Eckroat was trunk-slamming Friday night—which sounds weird to say.
This season, the 26-year-old is off to a slow start, with four missed cuts in six starts. However, he’s exempt for the 2025 Masters by finishing inside the 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of 2024 and winning the World Wide Technology Championship in November.
He’s excited to be back in Augusta next month—and hopes to secure a weekend tee time.
“I’m really looking forward to having a good game going into Augusta National and getting another chance at it,” Eckroat said.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Austin Eckroat Wanted to Miss the Cut in His First Masters Last Year .
