In the final round of the Florida Cognizant Classic, Shane Lowry made two double bogeys on the 16th and 17th, losing a three-shot lead and handing the title to Nico Echavarria.
Lowry, who shot a bogey-free 63 on Saturday to take the lead for the night, had four birdies in the first 13 holes and an eagle on the 10th hole to stay in a dominant position.
However, the Irishman suffered back-to-back double bogeys on the par-4 16th and par-3 17th, both of which caused his tee shot to drift far to the right and fall into the water.
This instantly ended Lowry’s title hopes and forced him to settle for a three-way share of second place.
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Shane Lowry, who led by three points, missed his chance to win the Cognizant Classic by hitting his tee shots on the 16th and 17th holes.
“Obviously I’m very disappointed. We had the tournament in our hands and we threw it away,” Lowry said.
“What more can I say? It’s been twice this year so far. I’m getting better.
“I played unbelievably all day and then one bad shot on the 16th completely destroyed me for the last three holes. I had never experienced anything like that before.
“I said to (caddie) Darren (Reynolds), I went through what I did last September at Bethpage and got through the fine, so why am I feeling like this now?
“But I beat myself today. I hit two really bad shots at the wrong time. That’s what this course does to you.”
Echavarria, meanwhile, shot a 66 to win his third career PGA Tour title, taking his total to 17 under thanks to the Colombian’s excellent bogey-free weekend.
“Today was a blessing,” Echavarria said.
“I wasn’t at my best off the tee, but I was able to cope.
“I had some good breaks. Sometimes you need good breaks to win here, unless you’re Scottie Scheffler, who hits in the perfect spot every time! So I’m happy with the result.”
Lowry shared second place at 15 under with American duo Austin Smotherman and Taylor Moore, who were also in the lead for the night.
Brooks Koepka also continued to perform well after recently returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf, posting a course-best 65 and jumping up the standings.
“Yeah, I’ve played really solid the last three days,” Koepka said.
“I didn’t hit very good shots yesterday, but I think my shot control has improved a lot.
“My putter is definitely better. I haven’t looked at the stats, but just a little adjustment Thursday night made a big difference.
“I finally have some confidence. I think that’s what was missing.”
Jordan Smith and Aaron Rye were the highest-placed Brits, with Smith scoring an impressive final round of 68 to move him joint 23rd on the leaderboard.
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