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PALM BEACH GARDENS – The Powerful Champions Field at PGA National seems to have lost its cutting edge after recent efforts to produce a smoother course for professional golfers.
The 2024 Cognizant Classic set a new low-scoring standard on the vaunted course: champion Austin Eckroat shot 17 under, the best by an event winner on the Champion Course, while a record 27 total golfers shot 10 under even or better.
In the previous 17 years of the event at PGA National, only 11 golfers shot 10 under par or better and 11 tournaments produced no golfers in double figures under par.
Last year, Chris Kirk and Eric Cole made the playoffs with a 14-under record at the last Honda Classic. Only two other players shot 10 under par or better in a tournament that was possibly the venue’s lowest score to date.
Although Eckroat ultimately won by a comfortable three-stroke margin on Monday, the former Oklahoma State star was well aware that he was followed by a group of golfers capable of taking advantage of scoring conditions.
“I look at the leaderboard when I play. I’m not afraid to look at them,” Eckroat said. “I noticed those guys were close and then at No. 15 I noticed Min Woo Lee had dropped to 14 under par. I knew it wasn’t clear at the time and there were a lot of guys still in the event with the bear trap approaching. “.
Recent:PGA Tour Takes Kinder, Gentler Approach with Champion Course for Cognizant Classic
Golfers delight in redesigned No. 10
PGA National’s Champion Course had earned a challenging reputation among professional golfers due to its abundant water, unpredictable winds and complicated hole designs.
In the 2020-21 season, the course was rated the third toughest on the PGA Tour, a fact that reportedly turned away some of the best golfers when combined with its usual late February and early March schedule. .
In recent years, efforts to alleviate the course’s difficulty have included cutting the 4-inch rough in half, as well as shortening yardage on Bear Trap’s notorious par 3s.
This year, tournament officials also converted hole No. 10 from par 4 to par 5, a change that immediately made it the easiest hole on the course: Golfers combined for 28 eagles and 283 birdies during the tournament without no player will score. worse than ghost, only 14 times.
“For me, obviously, a longer hitter, [hole No. 10] It actually suited my taste a little more,” said Min Woo Lee, who finished tied for second at 14 under. “If I hit it straight 1709641687 it’s good where before, with the forward tees, I could hit it straight and I could go through it.”
Lee, who shot 4 under par in the event last year, played No. 10 at 6 under par in the tournament with two eagles and two birdies.
An unusual challenge ends on Monday.
While the course may not have offered the usual hazards that hamper golfers, Mother Nature still had a say with Sunday’s torrential rains that brought the tournament to its first Monday finish since 2015.
“It was hectic, but I had to keep my head in the game,” Lee said. “I don’t really have that many results on Mondays or that I’ve been included in… It was hard to regroup and make sure.”
“Last night I was on my phone for a couple of hours and I was like, ‘What am I doing? I need to sleep.’ It seemed like the end of the tournament, but we had another 12 hours of golf to play.”
Shane Lowry and David Skinns, who co-led after 54 holes with Eckroat, struggled for momentum on Monday morning, both shooting 1 over to finish tied for fourth.
Lowry’s problems were visible and the former British Open champion slammed his club into the ground in frustration on the 15th hole after hitting his tee shot into the water and failing to put his third shot close enough to avoid a double bogey.
Skinns, who bogeyed two of his first three holes on Sunday after the rain delay, was better on Monday but ultimately wasn’t good enough to keep up with Eckroat.
“Yeah, yesterday was a strange day, waiting as long as we did,” Skinns said. “I thought I would be pretty calm, but yesterday I was quite worried. I wasn’t feeling very well.
“I came back today with a totally different perspective and I’m pleased with the way I played today. There were a couple of iffy shots, but I gave my best today and felt more comfortable.”
Skinns entered the tournament ranked No. 289 in the world and his payday for tying for fourth place ($344,250) will more than double his career earnings on the PGA Tour.
Erik Van Rooyen was probably the most apprehensive player not at PGA National on Monday.
The South African shot a tournament-best 63 in a final round that ended Sunday to enter the clubhouse at 14 under par. He elected to participate as scheduled in the prestigious members’ professional event at Seminole Golf Club, although he reportedly had a car waiting for him in case he backed out in a playoff.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@gannett.com.
PGA Tour golfers 10 under par or better at PGA National
2024-27
2023 — 4
2022-1
2021-1
2020-0
2019-0
2018-0
2017-1
2016-0
2015-0
2014-0
2013-0
2012 – 3
2011-0
2010 – 1
2009-0
2008-0
2007-0
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