Shane Lowry suffered a spectacular meltdown as Nico Echavarria claimed his third PGA Tour title on the Cognizant Basic at PGA Nationwide in Florida.
Lowry led by three pictures with three holes to play at 19-under par, however Echavarria prevailed by two pictures because the Irishman dumped two balls within the water down the closing stretch.
FOX SPORTS, out there on Kayo Sports activities, is streaming The 2026 PGA Tour LIVE & Unique | New to Kayo? Be part of now and get your first month for simply $1.
The Colombian completed 17-under par, having fired a five-under closing spherical 66 to carry of Lowry, Taylor Moore and Austin Smotherman, who shared second place.
“I instructed my spouse on Monday that I feel I can win this week,” Echavarria mentioned.
“I hit 18 on greens on Friday at Riviera. I missed the minimize by one however I nonetheless had a superb sense that the sport was in the best place.
“We knew that this course matches me nicely. It’s a ball strikers course. You don’t must have quite a lot of distance out right here.”
Lowry grew to become the most recent sufferer of ‘The Bear Entice’, holes 15 to 17 at PGA Nationwide named for Jack Nicklaus, that’s arguably the hardest three-hole stretch on Tour.
He sprayed his tee shot into the water to the best of the green at 16.
The quantity on his scorecard might have been worse than a six if not for a formidable save from a greenside bunker.
However issues obtained worse on the par three seventeenth as one other nasty slice discovered the water.
One other double bogey was the outcome, successfully handing Echavarria the trophy within the group in entrance and costing him vital {dollars} in addition to a fourth PGA Tour title.
Echavarria pocketed US$1.728 million (A$2.45m) for his efforts, whereas Lowry is predicted to earn US$726,400 (A$1.029m) for sharing runner-up honours.
“I’m at a loss. I really feel unhealthy for Shane,” commentator Wealthy Beem mentioned.
Get all the most recent golf information, highlights and evaluation delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports activities Sportmail. Join now!!!
There was a short second the place Lowry appeared like he might gap out for eagle from the greenside bunker on the par 5 18th to drive a playoff.
However it rolled previous the cup and he two-putted for par.
Lowry had not made a double bogey in 305 holes on the PGA Tour earlier than his collapse, however it’s the second time this yr that he has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
The Ryder Cup star led by a shot on the ultimate gap in Dubai in January, however rocketed a bunker shot via the inexperienced and into the water on his technique to making double bogey and shedding the match.
“I’m clearly extraordinarily disillusioned. I had the match in my fingers, and I threw it away. What extra can I say? That’s twice this yr now to this point. I’m getting good at it,” Lowry mentioned.
“Yeah, look, what can I say? I performed unbelievable all day, and one unhealthy shot on 16 fully threw me for the final three holes. It’s by no means occurred to me earlier than.
“I mentioned to (caddie) Darren (Reynolds), how do I really feel like this now after I went via what I did final September in Bethpage and obtained via that nice?
“I simply felt prefer it was bizarre on the market; I simply actually — yeah, simply couldn’t really feel the membership face the final three holes then after my tee shot on 16. It was unusual. What can I say? It’s very disappointing.
“Geez, that is going to be arduous to take. Dubai was arduous at first of the yr, however that is going to be fairly arduous.”
Lowry additionally revealed the heartache of desperately desirous to win in entrance of his daughter for the primary time in his profession.
“The toughest factor about immediately is I’ve by no means received in entrance of my four-year-old, and he or she was there ready for me,” he mentioned.
“Yeah, I solely wished it for her immediately. I didn’t need it for — I don’t care about the rest. I wished it so unhealthy. Simply to see her little ginger hair operating down the 18th inexperienced would have been essentially the most particular factor on the planet.
“I believed I had it. I believed I used to be going to win. I didn’t get forward of myself, however I felt so comfy on the market, after which yeah, tried to get quite a bit out of my 3-iron on 16 and did the one factor I couldn’t actually do.”