Disaster for Lowry as late collapse scuppers victory
A disastrous finish to his final round at the Cognizant Classic in Florida saw Shane Lowry cough up a three-stroke lead with three to play and have to settle for a three-way share of second.
The 38-year-old looked destined to end his individual winning drought that stretched back to the 2022 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club - he tasted success at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Rory McIlroy - but a late collapse scuppered those hopes.
FINAL LEADERBOARD
Lowry had finished in the top five at his adopted hometown event in three of the last four years and after moving to 19 under at the 15th and enjoying a three-shot advantage over Colombian Nico Echavarria, appeared well-placed to be heading for the winners' enclosure.
However, after finding water at the 16th with a wayward drive, he ultimately did well to scramble for a double-bogey, his first in 305 holes.
Inconceivably, it was two on the spin after finding water again at the par-three 17th, allowing Echavarria to take a two-stroke lead going down the last.
Having found the greenside bunker, Lowry had to hole out of the sand to force a play-off. Unable to do so, he finished with a par for a round of 68, leaving the course looked disillusioned and left to rue what might have been Palm Beaches.
That resulted in an improbable victory and €1.5m payday for Echavarria, his third success on the PGA Tour.
It had begun so well for the Offaly man, who started the day in a share of the lead with Austin Smotherman.
Lowry, whose best finish on the tour this year had been a tie for eighth at Pebble Beach, made a 10-foot putt to save par at the first, followed by three successive pars, narrowly missing out on a birdie at the par-five third.
Ambitions of victory gained serious momentum at the fifth. He landed safely on the green from the tee, but with 45 feet to the hole. The Offaly man, however, had the crowd on their feet with a delicious putt.
That momentum was nearly halted immediately when he narrowly avoided disaster off the sixth tee. His sliced effort looked destined for the water, but thankfully it carried onto the fairway. Lowry scrambled and drained from 20 feet to save par.
Echvarria moved to the top of the standings as outright leader at the seventh, but Lowry was back alongside him for company at the ninth. After a 273-yard drive to the right of the fairway, Lowry's approach shot found the edge of the green. The chip-and-run was hit to perfection, rolling into the hole with a jubilant Lowry fist-pumping the crowd.
It got even better at the 10th.
With a gentle downwind behind him, the booming drive carried for 341 yards allowing the 2019 champion to attack the hole. Echvarria’s birdie kept the pressure on, but the Irishman responded magnificently, landing the ball to the left of the flag and a 16-foot putt for an eagle.
Totally in control with the putter in hand, he then moved into the outright lead.
The advantage was pushed out to two shots at the 12th, where a somewhat fortunate lie after going left at the tee allowed him the chance to attack for another birdie. He duly stitched the ball to within five feet and stretched his lead at the top of the leaderboard.
With the momentum firmly behind him, there was almost an inevitability when he landed his approach to within 20 feet at the 13th that he would roll it in for another birdie, five under for five holes.
The three-stroke advantage was maintained until the 16th where Lowry's charge collapsed in spectacular fashion.
Having found water off the tee - pulling his drive right of the fairway - his overhit dropped shot landed in the greenside bunker. A double-bogey in the circumstances was not the worst return, though it meant the lead was whittled down to one stroke from Echavarria.
Things went from bad to worse when he found water off the tee again and Lowry's demeanour looked shot. Having not dropped a shot all afternoon, back-to-back double bogeys meant he headed for the last two off the lead.
Echavarria holed his par putt to make it a near impossible task for Lowry, whose par saw him finish for 68 and a three-way share for second with Taylor Moore and Austin Smotherman.
