Shane Lowry laments his blown lead at the Cognizant Classic: ‘I threw it away’

By Canadian Press on March 1, 2026.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Shane Lowry could envision the scene.

His 4-year-old daughter came to PGA National for the final round of the Cognizant Classic on Sunday, and he wanted nothing more than to see her running across the 18th green in celebration. And with a three-shot lead and three holes left, such a moment was within his grasp.

Until it wasn’t. Lowry made back-to-back double bogeys and settled for a tie for second — two shots behind winner Nico Echavarria, adding to his run of frustrating Sundays at PGA National.

“I wanted it so bad,” Lowry said. “Just to see her little ginger hair running down the 18th green would have been the most special thing in the world. I thought I had it. I thought I was going to win.”

Everybody watching probably thought the same, until Lowry sprayed a pair of tee shots well right and into the water — first at the par-4 16th, then on the par-3 17th. Those two blunders, combined with a birdie from Echavarria on the 17th, added up to a five-shot swing.

“I’m obviously extremely disappointed,” Lowry said. “I had the tournament in my hands, and I threw it away. What more can I say? That’s twice this year now so far. I’m getting good at it. … I played unbelievable all day, and one bad shot on 16 completely threw me for the last three holes. It’s never happened to me before.”

He had the lead on the 72nd hole at the Dubai Invitational in January; he made double bogey when par would have put him in a playoff. And his history at PGA National has been of the love-hate variety; he’s been 11th or better for five straight years, famously losing in 2022 when a rainstorm hit on the final hole.

“I was beaten that day,” Lowry said. “But I beat myself today.”

At 16, Lowry’s 3-iron off the tee — the same club he hit all week there — was way right and found the water. After a penalty drop, he hit a wedge back to the fairway and his fourth shot found a greenside bunker. From an awkward stance, he blasted to 3 1/2 feet and rolled in the putt for double bogey.

While all that was happening, Echavarria hit his approach on the par-3 17th to about 10 feet. He made the putt to pull into a tie, punching the air as he watched the ball roll into the hole.

Lowry then made another double at 17, and before long, Echavarria was celebrating.

“I didn’t think it would be possible,” Echavarria said.

Lowry hasn’t had an individual win in the United States since the Bridgestone Invitational in 2015; he teamed with Rory McIlroy to win the Zurich Classic in 2024, and the 38-year-old Irishman was part of a win in a slightly bigger team event last year at Bethpage Black — the Ryder Cup, when he halted America’s dream of a historic comeback with the clinching putt.

“How do I feel like this now when I went through what I did last September in Bethpage and got through that fine?” Lowry said. “I just felt like it was weird out there; I just couldn’t feel the clubface the last three holes then after my tee shot on 16. It was strange. What can I say? It’s very disappointing. This is going to be hard to take.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press