Holing a putt from over 30 feet on his last hole on Friday to make the cut on the number despite having no driver after the face cracked. Endycott found his best golf on the Saturday to rocket up the leaderboard with a 65 before a final round of 72 saw him finish best of the Aussie contingent in a share of 12th.

“It was an interesting but fun week,” Endycott told a group of Australian journalists this morning from Mississippi. “We had definitely some hurdles we had to jump that week, but it was an amazing week in Napa. It was a great test of golf. Just dealing with a cracked driver face and grinding to make the cut on the number with a 3-wood wasn’t an easy task on Friday.

“To go out and play well Saturday morning to give myself a chance to get in contention was an amazing experience. I would have liked to have played a little better, Sunday got tough and had to step it up and play some good golf. Didn’t quite do that on Sunday, but it gave me a little confidence boost to see your name at the top of that leaderboard.”

Wrapping up top Aussie honours should be a bit easier this week given the 26-year-old is the only Australian in the field at the Sanderson Farms, a fact that surprised the Avondale Golf Club product. But Endycott is aiming higher.

“For someone that you compete against and practise with and grow up with, it is just so amazing to see the journey he is on and to win in Asia. It does give you a little edge ..." - Harrison Endycott.

“It would be nice to see a few Aussies this week, but at the same time you get to know a lot of the guys out here, it feels like another golf tournament,” he said.

“I definitely thought there would be a few more Aussies playing this week, especially early in the season, but I’m just looking forward to getting going.”

When he does get going Thursday morning local time, Endycott will have a little extra fire in the belly after his close friend Travis Smyth got over the line for his first Asian Tour win in Taiwan last week. Endycott admitting the Illawarra junior’s success, and that of other Australians of late, has inspired him to join the winning party.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked if Smyth’s win had added some extra motivation this week. “It is great to see when Aussies go win overseas. I have been texting Trav and it was just great to see him go get his first win overseas. That guy works so hard, he puts so much effort into the game, he has a great mind for the game.

“For someone that you compete against and practise with and grow up with, it is just so amazing to see the journey he is on and to win in Asia. It does give you a little edge, I was talking to my caddie on the range this week, and I said ‘Oh man, how cool would it be to go win this week and back-to-back win for Aussies. That would be awesome’.”

And if he were to get that “awesome” result, Endycott would have a first pay cheque hit his account as a PGA Tour member.

Although he technically won US$140,667 in Napa, Endycott has received his rookie forwarded money of US$500,000 before starting the season on the PGA Tour, his winnings going against the amount until he surpasses the number.

Something he will surely do soon if his form and confidence from California to the rest of the ‘Fall Series’ events before he heads home for the Aussie. Summer.