For the third time in less than three years, Nico Echavarria is a PGA Tour champion, taking the Cognizant Classic. He took advantage of Shane Lowry's explosion on the famous Bear Trap at PGA National and swiped the victory. Consecutive tee shots in the water sent Lowry tumbling down the leaderboard, while Echavarria made a birdie on 17 to win the tournament.
A come-from-behind triumph!
Nico Echavarria wins the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches for his 3rd PGA TOUR title! pic.twitter.com/0wLZySmxQN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 1, 2026
Echavarria set the pace early, shooting a 63 on Thursday to climb up the leaderboard. But a one-over 72 on Friday kept him from pulling away with the tournament. As Lowry hit the Bear Trap, Echavarria was three shots behind. Even after the Colombian hit a great iron shot on 17, it looked like the Irishman would win. Then, Lowry hit two tee shots unlike anything else that happened this week.
Disastrous turn of events for Shane Lowry on the 16th and 17th holes.
This is the first time he has made back to back double-bogeys in his career according to the NBC broadcast. pic.twitter.com/oIWjkCNv7w
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) March 1, 2026
Lowry has now converted just one 54-hole lead into a win in six opportunities. He has a major championship win, taking the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, but his PGA Tour career has not been as lucrative. His last win was at the 2024 Zurich Classic, which he played alongside Rory McIlroy.
The last 13 times Lowry has entered the final round in the top three, he has one win (it was a great one). pic.twitter.com/HSVYemf0UT
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterNS) March 1, 2026
It was consecutive double bogeys for Lowry on 16 and 17, pushing his Strokes Gained: Off The Tee to -1.8 on the day. That ranked 64th of the 67 players who played on Sunday. Echavarria made a birdie on 17 and a par on 18 to get in the house at 17-under par, winning the tournament by two shots.
This is far and away Echavarria's best result of the season so far. In his first five starts, he had made just one cut, a T-8 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Echavarria did not push too hard around the tricky Bear Trap, keeping his ball dry to survive the finish. The Congizant Classic is now a hometown event for Echavarria, who closed on a house in the area on Friday.
What's next on the PGA Tour after Shane Lowry's win?
The PGA Tour continues the Florida Swing next week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando. Bay Hill provides one of the sternest tests on tour, with Russell Henley winning last year's tournament at 11-under par.
After Bay Hill, The Players Championship marks the most significant event of the PGA Tour season to this point. At TPC Sawgrass in Ponta Vedra Beach, it has become a must-watch staple of the Florida Swing. Then, the tour heads to Texas before The Masters takes over in the second week of April.
