From the Beach to the Lead: Austin Cook’s Stunning Week as an Alternate!

Austin Cook, who started the week as a first alternate, now finds himself tied for the lead at 6-under. After lessons with coach Adam Schreiber and a late call-up, everything is finally clicking for Cook — driving, putting, and confidence. Hear how he turned a beach weekend into a tournament breakthrough.

All right, Austin. Right now, six under, tied for the lead, not entirely finished yet. What’s Can you talk us through what’s working and um everything right now? I’m putting well, I’m hitting it well. Um I’m playing smart when you know it needs to happen. You know, eight, you know, number eight today back left pin with the wind in and out of the left. You, you know, put it in the middle middle of the green and try and two putt. So, we’re kind of sticking to the game plan and and things are just clicking this week. when it is clicking, it’s a little bit frustrating when something like this happens where you just want to keep going. Yeah. Uh especially, you know, where I finished, I think we’re on 14, the drivable one. Um I hit a good drive to the back edge of the green and and it’s pretty dark and I probably should have waited, but I hit the first putt and did not lag it very well. So, that’s a little frustrating, but we’ll have fresh greens in the morning. Try and make the about 20footer I got left. You came in uh u as an alternate. Yeah, you got in there. So, this must be a pretty good feeling. Yeah, it’s a great feeling. You know, um the game’s been getting better and better. Um I’ve just needed more opportunities and um you know, hopefully I can make the most of it this week. You know, started working or gotten a couple lessons from Adam Adam Shriber and um it’s it it clicks really well with me and it’s, you know, really helping me right now. Did did you feel like you had a chance to get in the field? I mean, we’re late in the season. Yeah. Um, obviously, you know, after my finish in Puerto Rico, you know, I didn’t have a great Sunday, but I still had maybe a top 15 or so. I was hoping to get in more events than I did this year. Yeah. Um or at least capitalize on the ones that I do get in and and that just hasn’t been the case. But thankful to get in this week. You know, last Wednesday I may have been eight out. I was coming to play the Monday and then by a set or maybe five. I was eight at one point and and then, you know, we were at the beach last week. because I was practicing ready to come, you know, do the Monday and Saturday got all the way down the first alternate and um I felt like I was going to get in. So, I helped drive everybody home on Sunday and then flew out Monday and on the plane I got a text. So, that was nice. So, you prepared? Yeah. Yeah. Good for you. Thank you. Thanks, Austin. Appreciate it.