Nico Echavarria takes advantage of Shane Lowry collapse to win on PGA Tour
By: Derek Clements | Edited: Thu 26 Mar 2026
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Shane Lowry suffered a devastating collapse, with two late double-bogeys costing him the Cognizant Classic.
The former Open champion was three ahead with three holes to play but dropped two shots at the 16th and then did the same at the par-three 17th after finding the water to hand the title to Nico Echavarria.
This is not the first time that Lowry has lost a tournament he should have won but it is definitely going to be the most difficult to take.
He appeared to have taken the tournament by the scruff of the neck when he birdied the ninth, eagled the 10th and added further gains at the 12th and 13th.
Lowry said: "I thought I was going to win. I had it in my hands and threw it away. It’s never happened to me before. I couldn’t feel the clubface on the last three holes.
"This is going to be hard to take. I have never won in front of my 4-year-old (daughter Ivy). I was really hoping to see that ginger hair running on the 18th green."
Echavarria said: "I got good breaks and you need good breaks to win out here. I wasn’t sure if my shot on 17 was going to get over the water. When it did, my caddie just told me to make it.
"On 18, my caddie told me Shane hit it into the water again, so I just played for a par. This has been an amazing week."
Who is Nico Echavarria?
Nico Echavarria was born in Medellin, Colombia, on August 4, 1994.
He attended the University of Arkansas from 2013 to 2017 and represented Colombia in the Eisenhower Trophy in 2016.
He turned professional in 2017 and won twice during the 2018 PGA Tour Latinoamerica season, finishing second in the Order of Merit and gaining a card for the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour.
He gained his PGA Tour card via the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Finals and in March 2023, in his rookie season, he won the Puerto Rico Open. He shot a total of 21-under-par to win by two shots ahead of Akshay Bhatia.
In October 2024 he won the Zozo Championship in his 58th PGA Tour start.
This was his 94th start, making 47 cuts and earning $9.7m. Apart from his two victories he has been second twice, had six top fives, 10 top 10s and 25 top 25s.
He averages 294.4 yards from the tee, finds 63.74% of fairways and hits 70.51% of greens in regulation. He gets up and down from the sand 41.67% of the time, averages 29.38 putts per round, averages 4.00 birdies per round and has a scoring average of 70.50.
About the author
Derek Clements is a seasoned sports journalist and regular Golfshake contributor, specialising in tour coverage, opinion pieces, and feature writing. With a long career in national newspapers and golf media, he has reported on the game across Europe, the United States and Australia. A passionate golfer, he has played and reviewed numerous renowned courses, with personal favourites including Pebble Beach, Kingsbarns, Aldeburgh, Old Thorns and the K Club. His love of the game informs his thoughtful commentary on both professional golf and the wider golfing community.
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