With three holes remaining in the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, Shane Lowry had the tournament in the bag. The Irishman held a comfortable three-shot lead as he teed up his ball on the par-4 16th hole on Sunday. Then, in an instant, it was gone.
Lowry, who was closing in on his first solo win since the 2022 BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour, let the pressure get to him at the worst time. He made back-to-back double bogeys on the 16th and 17th, allowing Nico Echavarria to overtake him on the leaderboard. Needing an eagle on the 18th hole to tie Echavarria, Lowry just missed his greenside bunker shot and limped to a closing par.
Not only did Lowry blow a golden opportunity to return to the PGA Tour winner’s circle, but his epic meltdown also cost him more than $1 million.
Talk about a tough day at the office.
Shane Lowry’s Sunday Collapse Cost Him More Than $1 Million in Prize Money
GettyShane Lowry lost more than just the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
It was all finally coming together for Lowry. The 38-year-old, who lives in Palm Beach and calls PGA National home, just needed to go 1-over in his final three holes on Sunday to win the Cognizant Classic after coming close four years in a row. But the pressure of winning in his hometown proved to be too much once again.
On the 16th hole, Lowry dunked his tee shot in the water despite pulling out an iron to play it safe. He had to take a drop 305 yards from the hole and was lucky to escape with a double bogey. On the 17th hole, Lowry watched from the tee box as Echavarria poured in a 10-foot birdie putt to tie his lead. His three-stroke lead had evaproated in less than 15 minutes.
A stunned Lowry stepped up to the tee box and couldn’t calm his nerves, pushing another iron way right and into the drink. After finishing with his second double bogey in a row, Lowry saw his comfortable lead morph into a two-shot deficit with one hole left to play.
Suddenly, Lowry needed an eagle on the par-5 18th hole to force a playoff. He couldn’t get it done, giving Echavarria one of the most unlikely wins of the young 2026 PGA Tour season.
Had Lowry sealed the deal on Sunday afternoon, he would’ve cashed a $1,728,000 winner’s check. Instead, he walked away with a T2 finish and a $726,400 prize. Lowry’s choke job cost him $1,001,600 in just about 30 minutes.
Lowry Is Making a Habit of Sunday Collapses
This isn’t the first time Lowry has thrown away a golf tournament in the final moments. In fact, he did the same at this very tournament in 2022 to finish runner-up. More recently, Lowry made a double bogey on the final hole of the Dubai Invitational in January to lose by two.
“I had the tournament in my hands, and I threw it away. That’s twice this year now so far,” Lowry told reporters from PGA National after the final round, per Patrick McDonald of CBS. “I’m getting good at it.
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