AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

February 3, 2022

Austin Eckroat

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Quick Quotes

Q. 5-under start on those first five holes if we can get some comments on that on your day as a whole.

AUSTIN ECKROAT: Yeah, just started off, you kind of get three par-5s early on that back nine and I was putting well and birdied the par-5s.

And then I knocked in a long one on 11, the par-3.

And then it was easy to start, the golf game was good and making putts and hitting good shots, so it was easy.

Q. Have you played, before this week, have you played any of these three courses in the rotation before?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: Yeah, so I played Pebble and I think or, sorry, that would have been my 23rd round. And then this is my second round at out here at MPCC. And then I've played Spyglass probably five times. So kind of all over the place. So my practice round was the first round I had here, so...

Q. And knowing these three courses, how important was it for you to get off to a good start here at Monterey?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: It was huge. You got to score out here. You can see that in the past. I only got the one practice round and I was just thinking if you get off to a good start out here and survive Spyglass and then go tear up Pebble again, that's kind of how it seems like it goes. So just looking forward to the week.

Q. When did you find out that you were getting the sponsor exemption and how excited were you?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: Oh, very excited. That was actually a funny story. It was Monday of last week. And I got an e-mail from the tournament director in San Diego, Marty Gorsich and I got an exemption into that week. So then I get a phone call from California, and I was just thinking it was Marty Gorsich. And I go to answer and it's like, Steve John here with the AT&T Invitational. And I was super excited, it was almost an overload of emotions because I had, in 11 minutes I had gotten two exemptions and I was just very excited. Happy to be here.

Q. Were you able to sleep that night?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: I was. I actually got on a plane that afternoon and flew to San Diego and then drove up here for this event. So it was, after the travel, it was pretty easy, yeah.