Colombian golfer Nico Echavarria captured his third career PGA Tour victory on Sunday, March 1, 2026, winning the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beache
Colombian golfer Nico Echavarria captured his third career PGA Tour victory on Sunday, March 1, 2026, winning the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Echavarria finished at 17-under par (267), securing a two-shot victory after a dramatic final-round collapse by leader Shane Lowry.
Echavarria entered the final round one shot off the lead and delivered a bogey-free 5-under 66. While he trailed Lowry by three strokes with only three holes remaining, he remained steady while Lowry struggled. Lowry suffered consecutive double bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes after hitting tee shots into the water. Echavarria capitalized by sinking a clutch 10-foot birdie putt on the difficult par-3 17th to take the lead, eventually parring the 18th to seal the win.
Career Milestones and Rewards
The victory marks several “firsts” and significant achievements for the 31-year-old:
First U.S. Win: While he had previous wins at the 2023 Puerto Rico Open and 2024 Baycurrent Classic in Japan, this was his first victory on American soil.
The win earned Echavarria his second invitation to The Masters next month.
He took home a winner’s check of $1,728,000, the largest of his career to date.
The win is projected to move him inside the top 10 of the FedExCup Rankings.
2026 Cognizant Classic Final Leaderboard
Place Player Score To Par Earnings
1 Nico Echavarria 63-72-66-66=267 -17 $1,728,000
T2 Shane Lowry 67-68-63-69=269 -15 $636,800
T2 Austin Smotherman 64-67-69-69=269 -15 $636,800
T2 Taylor Moore 66-68-67-68=269 -15 $636,800
Key Tournament Highlights
Flawless Weekend: Echavarria played the entire weekend (final 36 holes) without recording a single bogey.
Lowry’s Heartbreak: For Shane Lowry, it was a crushing “hometown” loss at PGA National, where he has now finished in the top 11 for five consecutive years
Shane Lowry’s loss at the 2026 Cognizant Classic was a shocking reversal of fortune. Entering the final three holes on Sunday, March 1, Lowry held a commanding three-shot lead and was bogey-free for the day. Standing on the 16th tee, data models gave him a 96.7% win probability.
The collapse occurred within PGA National’s famous three-hole stretch known as the “Bear Trap”:
16th Hole (Par 4): Nursing a three-shot cushion, Lowry used a 3-iron off the tee—a play he had successfully used all week,however, he flared the shot 25 yards right into the water. After taking a drop and finding a greenside bunker, he salvaged a double bogey. 17th Hole (Par 3): leading by only one, Lowry watched from the tee as Nico Echavarria, playing in the group ahead, drained a 10-foot birdie to pull into a tie at 17-under. Under intense pressure, Lowry repeated his mistake, slicing a 7-iron into the water on the right, recording his second consecutive double bogey, effectively ending his chances. 18th Hole (Par 5): Lowry needed an eagle to force a playoff but failed to convert a 10-foot birdie putt, finishing in a tie for second at 15-under.
Lowry was visibly devastated after the round, particularly because his daughter, Ivy, was at the 18th green waiting for him. On the Failure: “I had the tournament in my hands, and I threw it away. What more can I say? I’m getting good at it,” Lowry said, referencing a similar late collapse earlier this year at the Dubai Invitational.
He described a “strange” sensation over the final holes, stating he “couldn’t feel the clubface” after the first water ball on 16. Reflecting on his 2022 runner-up finish at this same event, he noted, “I’d say I was beaten that day. But I beat myself today”.
Lowry’s finish marked the first time in his PGA Tour career that he posted back-to-back double bogeys to lose a lead. Despite his heartbreak, he remains one of the most consistent performers at PGA National, with five consecutive top-11 finishes.
Hole Par Score Movement To Par (Total)
15 3 3 Even -19
16 4 6 +2 (Double Bogey) -17
17 3 5 +2 (Double Bogey) -15
18 5 5 Even -15
Other Notable Finishes: Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka shot a final-round 65 to finish tied for ninth, his best result since returning to the PGA Tour. Max McGreevy recorded the first-ever albatross in the tournament’s 20-year history at PGA National on the par-5 third hole.
Radu Roman
COMMENTS