Austin Cook

[Dale]

Austin Cook will sleep on his first PGA TOUR lead following a bogey-free, 8-under-par 31-31=62 during round two of The RSM Classic, the lowest round of the week thus far on the Seaside Course, to vault him into sole possession of the 36-hole lead on 14-under 128.

The PGA TOUR rookie striped 13 (of 14) fairways during R1 and he split another 11 fairways today. That steady play off the tee has allowed him to go pin-hunting, pelting 33 greens in regulation, good for first in the field. Today, his strong iron play was good for 4.464 strokes gained on approach in addition to a trio of putts converted from outside 15 feet. The 26-year-old has yet to record a bogey this week. Playing his 14th event on the PGA TOUR, this will be his first time holding a lead after ANY round on the big stage. In 52 starts on the Web.com Tour he's led just once (R1 of the 2016 Rust-Oleum Championship). Cook has shown a ton of promise early in his career but this will be uncharted territory for the University of Arkansas product as he sleeps on a lead for the first time in his PGA TOUR career.

[Dale]

Making his tournament debut, overnight leader and PGA TOUR rookie Austin Cook spun a 4-under-par 31-35=66 in the third round of The RSM Classic to reach 18-under 194, good for a three-shot lead over first-round leader Chris Kirk.

This is the University of Arkansas alum's first 54-hole lead/co-lead in his 14th career TOUR start. His best finish thus far is T6 at the 2015 Barbasol as a non-member and the 599th-ranked player in OWGR. After kicking off in 66-62, the 26-year-old led by one over Brian Gay, who shot 69 today and dropped to solo 3rd, four back. He found 12 (of 14) fairways and 14 greens in regulation, gaining 0.713 strokes off-the-tee and 0.637 around-the-green. The World No. 302, who was blemish-free thru 36 holes, squared a lone bogey-5 at 14 (3-putt from 83'8"), camouflaged by five circles at 1, 2 (from 14'3"), 7, 9 and 15. He registered 1.786 putts per GIR and 0.588 SG: Putting with 29 total putts.

[Dale]

Making his tournament debut, overnight leader and PGA TOUR rookie Austin Cook hung up a 3-under-par 35-32=67 in the final round of The RSM Classic to reach 21-under 261, good for a four-shot win over J.J. Spaun and his first TOUR title in his 14th career start.

The 26-year-old, a pre-tourney 80/1 outright, wins in his fourth start as a member. He's now 4-for-4 on the season, records his third top 25 and first top 10, brushing aside a previous-best T20 at the Shriners two starts ago. The Arkansas alum, who arrived off T50 at the OHL, records his third career top-10 finish, replacing a previous-best T6 at the 2015 Barbasol. After opening in 66-62-66, he began with a three-shot lead over 18-hole leader Chris Kirk and hit 12 (of 14) fairways and 13 greens in regulation. The Arkansan squared a lone bogey-5 at hole 2, silenced by four circles at 7, 15, 17 and 18, the latter two from between 13 and 15 feet. He posted 1.769 putts per GIR and 0.805 SG: Putting with 29 total putts. Cook earns a two-year exemption on TOUR and a host of invites, including to the 2018 TOC, the Masters, THE PLAYERS, and PGA Championship.