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How much prize money did Austin Eckroat win at the 2024 Cognizant Classic?
The 25-year-old gained his first PGA Tour win after turning pro in 2021. He will take home a significant cash prize.
Austin Eckroat has waited a long time for his first PGA Tour victory. Until today, his best finish was tied for 10th alongside Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele at last year’s US Open. On that occasion, he became the sixth player in US Open history to post a nine-hole score of 29, cementing a place at this year’s tournament in June.
Eckroat secures first PGA Tour win
On Monday, Eckroat shot a final round of 4-under 67, finishing at 17-under 267, edging ahead of Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee by three shots to clinch the 2024 Cognizant Classic. The 25-year-old ended Sunday with a one-stroke lead and maintained an advantage right through the final day in South Florida.
Eckroat doubles earnings
Apart from earning his first win, Eckroat will also take home a significant cash prize - a figure which is over half his total earnings during the last three years. Between 2021, the year when he turned professional and the start of 2024, he posted total earnings of $2,865,822 from his participation in 43 events. With today’s win, he will earn $1.62 million - not a huge sum by PGA Tour standards but a little more than the $1,458,000 which Jake Knapp earned for winning last week’s Mexico Open, taking his own personal earnings up to $2.5 million.
Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee, who tied at second both with -14 will receive the same cash payout of $801,000 each while the next five players (K.H. Lee, Cameron Young, Jake Knapp, Shane Lowry and David Skinns) pocket $344,250 each.
The 2024 Cognizant Classic has a purse of $9 million with the payout distributed among the 68 players who participate. The winner in Palm Beach will receive $1.62 million in prize money with the player finishing second to receive $981,000. A third place finish is worth $621,000 with a $441,000 payout for fourth and $369,000 for fifth. When players are tied, the prize money for each of those players is the evenly divided amount of the total money the players would have been awarded had they all finished separately.
The PGA Tour continues with the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open up next, both teeing off on Thursday 7 March. A 132-player field will be in action in Rio Grande with a purse of $4 million purse and 300 FedEx Cup points available to the winner while the Arnold Palmer Invitational purse this year is $20 million.