Nico Echavarria wins Cognizant Classic after Shane Lowry melts down late

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Nico Echavarria didn’t make a bogey all weekend. Shane Lowry was on his way to doing the same, until the very end.

And that’s what decided the Cognizant Classic.

Echavarria — who was three shots back with three holes left — shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday to win at PGA National, finishing at 17-under 267 and beating Lowry (69), Austin Smotherman (69) and Taylor Moore (68) by two shots.

“It was a blessing today,” Echavarria said. “I didn’t have my best off the tee, but I was able to manage. I had some good breaks. To win out here, sometimes you have to have good breaks if you’re not Scottie Scheffler that hits it every time in the perfect place. So, I’m happy with how it went.”

Lowry — who remains snakebit by PGA National, where he has now finished in the top 11 for five straight years without a victory — was undone by consecutive double bogeys at the par-4 16th and par-3 17th, both resulting from tee shots that drifted way right and into the water.

“I had the tournament in my hands and I threw it away,” Lowry said. “What more can I say?”

It was Echavarria’s third PGA Tour win and first in the United States, and this one earned a second Masters invitation for the 31-year-old from Colombia. The $1.728 million winner’s cheque was the biggest of his career, about $200,000 more than what he got for winning the Zozo Championship in Japan in 2024.

He could use the cash, too. Echavarria closed on a house in South Florida last week, and promised his wife that when he got his third win, they would add a dog to the family.

“I was hitting the ball good, and here we are,” Echavarria said. “We’re getting a dog.”

A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., finished tied for 13th at 9 under — eight shots back of the winner. Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., finished tied for 17th at 8 under. Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, Ont., finished tied for 23rd at 7 under. And Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., finished tied for 40th at 4 under.

Lowry — who also had Sunday leads at PGA National in 2022 and 2024 — was rolling along, chipping in for birdie on the par-4 ninth to start a run where he went 5 under in a five-hole stretch.

And he had a three-shot lead over Echavarria going to the par-4 16th. That’s where his nightmare began.

Lowry’s long iron off the tee was way right and found the water. After a penalty drop, he hit a wedge back to the fairway and his fourth shot found a greenside bunker. From an awkward stance, he blasted to 3 1/2 feet and rolled in the putt for double bogey — trimming his lead to one.

While all that was happening, Echavarria hit his approach on the par-3 17th to about 10 feet. He made the putt to pull into a tie, punching the air as he watched the ball roll into the hole.

Lowry then made another double at 17 with an iron shot that was well short and right. He needed a miracle on the par-5 18th after playing his second shot into a greenside bunker. Lowry’s shot from nearly 30 yards skidded by, and Echavarria — in the scoring tent, watching the finish — knew he had won.

“It’s uncharacteristic for Shane, a major champion, but it’s just a testament to what this game is like,” Smotherman said. “I mean, you just have to stay in it for 72 holes.”

Lowry was second in 2022 when the event was still called the Honda Classic, losing the lead after getting caught in a deluge on the final hole. He tied for fifth at PGA National a year later, had the solo lead going into the final round before finishing tied for fourth in 2024, then tied for 11th last year.

This was, on paper, his best finish at PGA National. It just didn’t feel that way.

Doubleheaders for Homa, Kim

Max Homa (tied for 13th) and Tom Kim (59th) had a doubleheader Sunday. They were playing for Jupiter Links in a TGL match Sunday night, just about 8 kilometres away from PGA National. Homa wasn’t sure if he’d ever had two competitive events in one day before.

“I doubt I have,” he said. “I’m sure when I was young I might have got close, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head.”

Notes

Brooks Koepka and Ben Silverman played all four rounds together this week — and both holed out for birdie from the sand on the par-4 14th Sunday. “I’m sure he’s tired of me now,” Koepka said. “He’s a good player. I’ve known him for a long time.” Koepka closed with a 65 to finish in a tie for ninth, by far his best finish since returning to the PGA Tour. … Defending champion Joe Highsmith finished 67th out of 67 players who made the cut. He finished at 6-over 290, 25 shots worse than one year ago.

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