Hayden Wood Wins OK State Am in Hometown
7/19/2018 | by Yianni Gogonas of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for Oklahoma State Amateur, Cedar Ridge Country Club
Oklahoma State's Hayden Wood defeated his collegiate teammate and hometown friend Austin Eckroat in an exciting final match.
EDMOND, OK (July 19, 2018) — Oklahoma State rising senior Hayden Wood defeated his fellow Cowboy Austin Eckroat in the final match of the Oklahoma Amateur Championship on Thursday at The Patriot Golf Club.
The rising sophomore Eckroat, who grew up playing with Wood at Oak Tree National Golf Club in Edmond, won the first hole with a birdie to take a 1-up lead which he immediately gave back on No. 2 when he made bogey to Wood’s par.
After halving the next four holes with pars, Eckroat would see another brief lead with a birdie win at the 387-yard 7th hole. But Wood, the 2017 U.S. Amateur Medalist, answered back on the short par-5 8th and followed it with two more birdie wins on Nos. 9 and 10. A fully warmed up Hayden Wood would play the remainder of the match bogey free, winning the event on No. 16 when he made eagle at the par-5.
“I don’t know if I would have enjoyed playing Hayden earlier in the tournament, because we both wanted to make it all the way and knocking one of us out early would have sucked,” said Eckroat. “But with the way it worked out, I was wanting it to be me vs. Hayden in the finals. It was fun playing for the title with someone who I play golf with almost every day.”
“When the pairings were out, we both were really excited that we were on opposite sides of the bracket,” confirmed his teammate and 2018 Oklahoma State Champion.
The pair will head next to San Francisco’s Olympic Club for the Pacific Coast Amateur, which begins play on Tuesday, July 24.
The rising sophomore Eckroat, who grew up playing with Wood at Oak Tree National Golf Club in Edmond, won the first hole with a birdie to take a 1-up lead which he immediately gave back on No. 2 when he made bogey to Wood’s par.
After halving the next four holes with pars, Eckroat would see another brief lead with a birdie win at the 387-yard 7th hole. But Wood, the 2017 U.S. Amateur Medalist, answered back on the short par-5 8th and followed it with two more birdie wins on Nos. 9 and 10. A fully warmed up Hayden Wood would play the remainder of the match bogey free, winning the event on No. 16 when he made eagle at the par-5.
“I don’t know if I would have enjoyed playing Hayden earlier in the tournament, because we both wanted to make it all the way and knocking one of us out early would have sucked,” said Eckroat. “But with the way it worked out, I was wanting it to be me vs. Hayden in the finals. It was fun playing for the title with someone who I play golf with almost every day.”
“When the pairings were out, we both were really excited that we were on opposite sides of the bracket,” confirmed his teammate and 2018 Oklahoma State Champion.
The pair will head next to San Francisco’s Olympic Club for the Pacific Coast Amateur, which begins play on Tuesday, July 24.
About the Oklahoma State Amateur
Open to Oklahoma residents with handicap index of 7.0 or less who have completed qualifying or are exempt. 18 holes of stroke play determines a round of 64 match play bracket.
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners
Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s
Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original