It was so near, yet so far for Shane Lowry as he fell short on the final round of the Cognizant Classic at the PGA National Champion Course in Florida on Sunday.

Lowry saw his lead dwindle as he struggled on the 16th and 17th holes, including consecutive shots in the water. He later said it never happened to him before.

Nico Echavarria came from behind to claim the title, his third one on the PGA Tour. He totaled a 17-under 267.

The 38-year-old Lowry admitted that the loss was a tough pill to swallow, especially since he said he felt comfortable on the green. He held back his tears during the post-tournament interview.

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

“It's twice this year, so far, so I'm getting good at it. What can I say? I played unbelievably, and one bad shot on 16 completely threw me for the last three holes.”

While he admitted his mistakes, he said the defeat was even more painful because his daughter was cheering for him.

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“The hardest thing about today is I've never won in front of my four-year-old. She was there waiting for me. I only wanted it for her today. I didn't care about anything else. I wanted it so bad. Just to see her little ginger head running on the 18th green would have been the most special thing in the world,” added Lowry.

Lowry, who hails from Ireland, settled for the consolation prize of $726,400, finishing tied with Taylor Moore for second place.

Lowry scored 63 on Saturday to take the lead heading into the final day.

He has not won on the PGA Tour since ruling the Zurich Classic in 2024.