Shane Lowry lost a three-shot lead with consecutive double-bogeys at the 16th and 17th to hand Nico Echavarria the title in the final round of the Cognizant Classic in Florida.
Lowry, the joint-overnight leader after a bogey-free 63 on Saturday, had been in a commanding position after making four birdies and an eagle at the 10th across the first 13 holes. But tee shots that drifted far right into the water at the par-four 16th and par-three 17th produced back-to-back double-bogeys that swiftly ended his title hopes, and he had to settle for a three-way share of second.
“I’m obviously extremely disappointed. I had the tournament in my hands, and I threw it away,” Lowry said. “What more can I say? That’s twice this year now so far. I’m getting good at it. I played unbelievable all day, and one bad shot on 16 completely threw me for the last three holes. It’s never happened to me before. I said to [my caddie] Darren (Reynolds), how do I feel like this now when I went through what I did last September in Bethpage and got through that fine. But I beat myself today. I hit two really bad shots at the wrong time, and that’s what this course does to you.”
Echavarria, meanwhile, shot a 66 to finish 17 under and claim his third career PGA Tour title, closing out a bogey-free weekend for the Colombian. “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 shared second on 15 under with American duo Austin Smotherman — the other joint-overnight leader — and Taylor Moore.
Brooks Koepka also surged up the leaderboard with a course-best 65 as he continues to find form after returning from LIV Golf. “Yeah, I played really solid the last three days,” Koepka said. “Didn’t quite hit it that great yesterday, but just controlling shots I think a lot better. Putter obviously has gotten better. I haven’t looked at the stats, but just that little adjustment Thursday night made a huge difference. Finally found some confidence. I think that’s the one thing that’s been lacking.”
England’s highest finishers were Jordan Smith and Aaron Rai, who tied for 23rd after Smith’s final-round 68.