Draws & Fades: Austin Eckroat the man to beat ahead of Monday finish at Cognizant Classic

The final round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches has been extended until Monday, giving us bettors one more chance to cash an in-play ticket.

Austin Eckroat is currently in the lead at 15 under with 11 holes left. Play was initially suspended because of inclement weather an hour before the leaders were set to tee off, and there are still 26 players left who will complete their round when play resumes at 8 a.m. ET Monday.

Sunday morning got off to a blazing start. Overnight rain softened The Champion course at PGA National, and those getting out early engaged in a rapid-fire birdie fest. Erik van Rooyen began the day seven shots off the lead and was in the lead by himself after playing his first 10 holes in 8 under. He began his round by making six straight birdies and shot 28 on the outward nine.

But Mother Nature put an end to the "Go-Low" party just before 1 p.m. local time when the horn sounded and play was suspended due to thunderstorms.

Action resumed at 4:20 p.m. local time with van Rooyen still holding onto a one-shot lead at 14 under, one better than the trio of 54-hole co-leaders in Eckroat, Shane Lowry and David Skinns, all of whom had yet to begin their final round. It seems the weather delay may have sapped some of the mojo from van Rooyen's torrid start. After playing the first 10 holes in 8 under, he played the final eight holes at even par, finishing at 14 under for the tournament.

Last week's winner in Mexico, Jake Knapp, is two shots back of Eckroat with three holes still left to play. Lowry and Alex Noren are both three shots back at 12 under. Noren has six holes remaining and Lowry, who was in Sunday's final pairing, has 13 holes left to play. Seeking his first-ever PGA TOUR win, David Skinns, paired with Lowry, began his Sunday by playing his first five holes in 2 over, and is now four shots off the pace.

Updated odds to win Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (via BetMGM Sportsbook)

• -175: Austin Eckroat (-15 through 7)
• +400: Shane Lowry (-12 through 5)
• +1600: Jake Knapp (-13 through 15)
• +2000: Erik van Rooyen (-14, F)
• +2200: Kevin Yu (-11 through 8), Min Woo Lee (-10 through 7)
• +3000: David Skinns (-11 through 5)
• +3500: Alex Noren (-12 through 12), Martin Laird (-11 through 7)

Is there a way to still cash a ticket with roughly only half a round of golf remaining? I believe there is.

Draw

Austin Eckroat (-175)

We tipped Eckroat at the halfway point on Friday at +1000 as a good person to back going forward, and I'm not going to stray from that now. At this point, he is the man to beat. We noted his excellent ball-striking in Friday's column and it has held up. He now ranks sixth in this field for SG: Off the Tee, seventh for SG: Approach, third in Greens in Regulation, and has improved to 13th in SG: Putting. His play has been incredibly consistent given the changes in weather and stoppages of play. With the golf course now playing soft, making birdies becomes easier, and coming back to the pack becomes less likely. Odds at -175 imply a win probability of roughly 64%. I believe Eckroat's chances of winning are closer to 75%, so by my calculations, the price is more than fair.

Fade

David Skinns (+3000)

Through just five holes on Sunday, Skinns is near the bottom in all statistical categories. The break until Monday actually may serve him well, but I feel he has put himself too far back early in the final round. He is currently ranked 278th in the OWGR and in four events this season prior to this week, Skinns was yet to make a cut. Being the 54-hole leader was uncharted waters for the 42-year-old journeyman who is yet to win on TOUR. A three-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, this still was a different level of pressure for the Englishman. If he turns things around in a very big way, he can still go on to capture this trophy but I feel his odds to do so ought to be in the neighborhood of +4000 rather than the +3000 that is being offered.

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