Shane Lowry suffered a significant downturn on Sunday afternoon at PGA National.
Shane Lowry, who had a three-shot advantage in the final stages, ultimately faltered and surrendered the Cognizant Classic to Nico Echavarria. In the concluding round, Lowry recorded a 2-under 69 but suffered back-to-back double bogeys towards the end, causing him to falter at what is now considered his local tournament. This misstep allowed Echavarria to seize the victory instead.
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Echavarria, who began the day just one stroke behind the leader, recorded a flawless 66 without any bogeys, bringing his total to 17-under for the tournament. He maintained this impressive performance throughout the weekend, resulting in a two-stroke victory and earning him a check for $1.728 million.
"Today was truly a gift," Echavarria remarked on NBC. "My tee shots weren't at their best, but I managed to navigate through … To succeed out here, you sometimes need a bit of luck. You're not Scottie Scheffler, who consistently lands it in the ideal spot. So I'm pleased with how things turned out."
Shane Lowry began Sunday tied for the lead, following a flawless 63 on Saturday that brought him to 13-under for the tournament. Although he had a slow start in the final round, Lowry found his rhythm after the turn. He made a birdie at No. 9, finishing his front nine at 2-under, then hit his approach shot to the pin on the par-5 10th and converted a long eagle putt to take a one-shot advantage.
After that, he achieved consecutive birdies to reach 5-under over a five-hole span, which unexpectedly gave Lowry a three-shot advantage over his competitors. However, that lead was short-lived. Lowry’s drive on the par-4 16th found the water on the right side of the fairway, resulting in a double bogey after he also ended up in a bunker close to the green. This was Lowry’s first bogey or worse in 35 holes, completely shattering his lead. Echavarria birdied the 17th hole just ahead of Lowry, tying them at the top and creating a three-shot shift.
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Lowry sent his tee shot on the par-3 17th far to the right and into the water as well. He ended up with a double bogey there, marking the first occasion in his Tour career that Lowry has recorded consecutive double bogeys. Suddenly, Echavarria found himself leading by two strokes.
Echavarria secured his par on the 18th hole to clinch a two-shot victory. Lowry also made par on the final hole, wrapping up his round. He finished tied for second alongside Taylor Moore and Austin Smotherman.
Echavarria has achieved victory three times on the PGA Tour throughout his career. At 31 years old, his most recent triumph came at the Zozo Championship in 2024. This week marked only the second occasion in six appearances this season that he made the cut, although he ended up tied for eighth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
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Since his victory at the British Open in 2019, Shane Lowry has not claimed a solo title on Tour. Although he secured the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2024, that win was achieved alongside Rory McIlroy. Throughout his career, he has celebrated three Tour victories and boasts six wins on the DP World Tour.
Take a look at the earnings of Echavarria, Lowry, and the other competitors from this week’s Cognizant Classic.
The Payouts for the 2026 Cognizant Classic
T56. Emiliano Grillo, Chan Kim, Adrien Saddier — $22,176 earned
59. Tom Kim — $21,792
T60. Adam Schenk, Davis Thompson —$21,504
62. Billy Horschel — $21,216
T63. Jackson Suber, John Parry, Chandler Phillips — $20,832
66. Dylan Wu — $20,448
67. Joe Highsmith — $20,256
