PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Nico Echavarria didn’t make a bogey all weekend. Shane Lowry was on his way to doing the same, until the very end. And that’s what decided the Cognizant Classic.
Echavarria — who was three shots back with three holes left — shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday to win at PGA National, finishing at 17-under 267 and beating Lowry (69), Austin Smotherman (69) and Taylor Moore (68) by two shots.
Lowry — who remains snakebit by PGA National, where he has finished in the top 11 for five straight years without a victory — was undone by double bogeys at the par-4 16th and par-3 17th, both after tee shots went way right and into the water.
It was Echavarria’s third PGA Tour win and first in the United States, and this one earned a second Masters invitation for the 31-year-old from Colombia.
Lowry — who has been in contention at PGA National in each of the last five years and had late leads in 2022 and 2024 — was rolling along, chipping in for birdie on the par-4 ninth to start a run where he went 5 under in a five-hole stretch. And he had a three-shot lead over Echavarria going to the par-4 16th. That’s where his nightmare began.
LPGA Tour
SINGAPORE (AP) — Australian Hannah Green closed with a 3-under 69 and won the HSBC Women’s World Championship for a second time, holding off fast-finishing American Auston Kim to claim a one-stroke victory Sunday.
Green had an erratic back nine with three birdies and three bogeys that nearly opened the door for Kim. The Australian tapped in for bogey at the last to finish at 14-under 274 at Sentosa Golf Club to win for the second time in three years.
Minjee Lee, who shared the 54-hole lead with Green, shot 72 and tied for third with Angel Yin (71) and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (68) of France. Top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul, who won last week in her native Thailand, closed with a 73 and tied for 31st. That ended her run of eight straight top 10s.
European tour
STELLENBOSCH, South Africa (AP) — Casey Jarvis seized control with three birdies in his opening five holes and closed with a 3-under 67 to win the South African Open on Sunday, earning him a spot in the Masters and the British Open this year.
Jarvis won for the second straight week on the European tour, following his victory last week in the Kenya Open. The South African Open for the first time came with an invitation to the Masters. It also offered three spots to the leading players not already eligible for the British Open.
Francesco Laporta of Italy closed with a 69 and tied for second with Frederic Lacroix of France (65) and Hennie Du Plessis of South Africa (69).
Du Plessis was the main challenger to Jarvis for most of the day. He was two shots behind playing the 18th but finished with a bogey, which cost him a spot in the British Open. Those places went to Laporta and Lacroix because of their better world ranking.
Korn Ferry Tour
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Alistair Docherty picked a good spot for his first Korn Ferry Tour victory, making a short birdie on the final hole Sunday to win the Argentine Open and earn a spot in the British Open this summer at Royal Birkdale.
Docherty hit wedge to 3 feet for birdie on the final hole for a 5-under 65, giving him a one-shot victory over S.Y. Noh and Chris Forte.
Forte close with a 61 well ahead of the final group of Docherty and Noh. There was a three-way tie until Noh had to hit two off the tee at the par-5 15th and made bogey to fall one behind. Noh also made birdie on the 18th for a 66.
Docherty, Canadian-born who played at Chico State, finished at 22-under 258 and moved to No. 2 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list.
Other tours
Daniel Hillier closed with a 4-under 67 for a two-shot victory over Lucas Herbert in the New Zealand Open, becoming the first New Zealander since 2017 to win his national open. Herbert closed with a 67 and earned a spot in the British Open as the leading finisher not already eligible. Hillier already had earned his way to Royal Birkdale by finishing on the top 25 in the Race to Dubai on the European tour last year. … Agathe Laisné closed with a 6-under 65 to win the Ford Women’s NSW Open in Australia for her first Ladies European Tour title. She won by one shot over April Angurasaranee of Thailand and South Korean amateur Soomin Oh.
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