U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

June 18, 2023

Austin Eckroat

The Los Angeles Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Is it one of the highlights of your golf career so far, making an eagle at the U.S. Open?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: Yeah, no joke. It was really a struggle with the putter coming into today. I think I was second to last in putting of guys who made the cut. Just made a few adjustments on the setup and I got off to a good start.

On hole 8, it was just a simple read. It's one of those you step up to it and you already see the line, and just rolled right in. I was thinking birdie the last two holes and shoot 28, 29 would have been fun, and there on 8, that was cool.

Q. To be in the U.S. Open record books for something like low front nine score, obviously everyone out here is trying to win and get their name in the record book that way, but how meaningful are little things like that to players?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: Yeah, it's awesome. Every time someone gets off to a good start at a U.S. Open from now on, they'll put on the nine-hole scoring record, and my name will be up there. That's pretty cool. Obviously I'll share it with other guys. A 28 would have been pretty sweet.

Q. You had 10 feet for 28; did you misread it or mis-hit it?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: I had a 10-footer that broke 10 feet, so it was a low percentage make on a 10-footer, and I hit a great putt. One of those where you're trying to make it in the side door, and just barely missed. It was a great putt.

Q. I noticed you gave Rickie the thumbs up and he gave it back to you. He's really been tied into his alma mater. He probably would come back probably a dozen or so times during your four years there. Do you have any Rickie stories that maybe exemplify just the type of guy he is, always making time for people and helping people out when he doesn't have to?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: Yeah, everybody knows the story of him staying late after he missed the U.S. Open sectionals last year. I think that's just the perfect description of who he is. He's obviously a fantastic guy. I knew him when I got to school, spent a lot of time with him, and he's still to this day, we're always close in the locker room because his last name is an F, mine is an E, so we're always near each other, and every week he puts in a good effort to talk to me. Having friends out here, especially when you're young, and people you can look up to on TOUR is pretty great, and that's just the kind of guy he is.

Q. Was there any round early in your college career that you played with him or any advice that still sticks out?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: Not necessarily. I think he was just kind of a good friend. Whenever you play golf with him, if you asked a question he would answer, but more like he just made you feel comfortable with guys and would give you the recognition. There's something to that. You get paired with a big name, and you're a little star struck. Rickie kind of made that normal for us at Oklahoma State. You get used to playing with guys that are stars of the game.

Q. Lastly, you get your PGA TOUR card. Is Rickie the kind of guy that will text you after things like that?

AUSTIN ECKROAT: Yeah, it's interesting the guys you get texts from, but yeah, you'll get a text from Rickie or all the Oklahoma State guys really, whenever something good happens between all of us. It'll usually just be a simple "good job" or something like that, but it means a lot coming from guys that you've looked up to your whole life.