In this week’s “The Starter,” PGA professional Brendon Elliott, a three-decade industry veteran, gives his thoughts on the week that was in golf for R.org. Nico Echavarria survives Shane Lowry’s late collapse to win at PGA National. Hannah Green captures her second HSBC Women’s World Championship with her husband on the bag. Casey Jarvis becomes the second player this season to win consecutive DP World Tour events. And Brooks Koepka shows signs of life in his return to the PGA TOUR.

Echavarria Wins After Lowry’s Bear Trap Nightmare

The Winning Moment

Nico Echavarria didn’t make a bogey all weekend at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Shane Lowry was on his way to doing the same until the very end. And that’s what decided the tournament.

The 31-year-old Colombian closed with a 5-under 66 on Sunday to finish at 17-under 267, beating Lowry, Austin Smotherman, and Taylor Moore by two shots. It marked his third PGA TOUR victory and first in the United States, earning him a second Masters invitation and the biggest winner’s check of his career at $1.728 million.

“Sometimes you have to have good breaks,” Echavarria said after the win.

He got them. Lowry didn’t.

Lowry’s Heartbreaking Collapse

Shane Lowry had a three-shot lead over Echavarria with three holes to play. Then came the Bear Trap PGA National’s infamous closing stretch and everything unraveled.

On the par-4 16th, Lowry’s long iron off the tee sailed way right into the water. After a penalty drop, he hit a wedge back to the fairway, found a greenside bunker with his fourth shot, and eventually made double bogey. His lead was down to one.

While Lowry was scrambling, Echavarria hit his approach on the par-3 17th to about 10 feet. He rolled in the birdie putt to pull into a tie, punching the air as the ball dropped.

Then Lowry made another double at 17 with an iron shot that came up well short and right. He needed a miracle on the par-5 18th, but his bunker shot from nearly 30 yards skidded by the hole. Echavarria, watching from the scoring tent, knew he had won.

“It’s unfortunate the way he finished,” Echavarria said. “It’s a hard tournament to close. It’s not easy to have a lead coming down the stretch on this course.”

For Lowry, it was another crushing finish at PGA National, where he’s now finished in the top 11 in five straight years without a victory. He was second in 2022, tied for fourth in 2024, and now this is his best finish on paper, but the one that hurt the most.

“I’m obviously extremely disappointed,” Lowry said. “I had the tournament in my hands, and I threw it away. That’s twice this year now so far. I’m getting good at it.”

The Week That Changed Everything

Echavarria’s victory came with added significance beyond the trophy and the payday. The win secured his spot at Augusta National for the second time in his career and earned him exemptions through 2028, including starts in THE PLAYERS, the PGA Championship, and all Signature Events this season.

“I had this feeling that things were starting to click,” Echavarria said. “I played well in Riviera. Unfortunately I didn’t make a single putt and missed the cut by one, but I knew that coming into Bermuda greens, it was going to be my forte.”

The win also moved him up 40 spots to No. 6 in the FedExCup standings and made him the second player from Colombia to win this event, following Camilo Villegas in 2010. Fittingly, Echavarria stayed at Villegas’ house this week.

Other Notable Performances

Austin Smotherman posted his best finish in 82 TOUR starts with a tie for second at 15-under. The performance earned him a spot in next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational via the Aon Next 10. He led the field with 23 birdies for the week.

Taylor Moore also finished tied for second and secured his spot at Bay Hill via the Aon Swing 5. He was one of just two players to post four rounds in the 60s this week.

Brooks Koepka showed signs of life in his return to the PGA TOUR, closing with a 6-under 65 to finish tied for ninth. It marked his best result since rejoining the TOUR through the Returning Member Program after three starts that included a missed cut at the WM Phoenix Open.

“I played really solid the last three days,” Koepka said. “Putter obviously has gotten better. Found some confidence. I think that’s the one thing that’s been lacking.”

Koepka made an important putting adjustment Thursday night that he said made a “huge difference” for the rest of his week. He’ll skip next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational but will return for THE PLAYERS Championship in two weeks.

Green Wins With Husband on the Bag

An Emotional Victory

Hannah Green won her second HSBC Women’s World Championship with a final-round 69 to finish at 14-under 274, one shot clear of Auston Kim. But this victory carried far more emotional weight than her first win at the event two years ago.

This time, her husband Jared was on the bag.

“I think I’m far more emotional just because I was able to do it with my husband,” Green said through tears. “I felt like, yeah, again, I played good in areas last year but it wasn’t very consistent at all and I guess it has been a long time since I have had a trophy in my hand.”

The win ended a 497-day drought dating back to the 2024 BMW Ladies Championship. It was her seventh career LPGA victory and pushed her past $8 million in career earnings.

The Final Round Drama

Green played all four rounds under par at Sentosa Golf Club, leading the field with two eagles for the week, one in the first round and one in the fourth. She hit 8 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation in her final round, making three bogeys, four birdies, and an eagle.

The 32-year-old Australian acknowledged feeling nervous down the stretch despite her solid play.

“I felt honestly really nervous out there,” Green said. “I was talking to my caddie, husband and saying, like I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. I haven’t really felt like that in a while but I guess if it’s been that long perhaps that’s why.”

Green’s birdie on the 15th hole proved crucial, giving her a cushion heading into the difficult closing stretch. She made the decision to lay up on the par-5 16th rather than go for the green, ultimately making par before finishing with two soft bogeys.

“I knew that I had enough of a lead to be able to get away with making mistakes coming down the stretch,” she said. “But I think 15 was the real turning point.”

Looking Ahead

Green’s husband will continue caddying for her at the next two events in Australia, including the Australian Open. Her regular caddie is currently unable to leave the United States while applying for a green card.

The victory also holds special significance for Green’s season outlook. When she won Singapore two years ago, she went on to win two other tournaments that season in what became her best year on tour.

“Having a win so early in the season gives me a bit more flexibility with the tournaments that I can play,” Green said. “So I’m hoping that this puts me in good standing for the rest of the year.”

Jarvis Goes Back-to-Back on DP World Tour

Second Consecutive Victory

Casey Jarvis became the second player this season to win consecutive DP World Tour events, following fellow South African Jayden Schaper. The 22-year-old closed with a final-round 69 to win the Investec South African Open Championship by three shots at 11-under par.

The victory at Stellenbosch Golf Club came one week after his breakthrough win at the Magical Kenya Open and carried extra significance: For the first time in the event’s history, the winner received an exemption into the Masters Tournament.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid to play at Augusta,” Jarvis said. “I thought about it this morning, I tried not to but it was hard not to think about it, but I cannot wait to go there and see how my game compares to the best players in the world.”

Open Championship Qualifiers

The top three finishers at the Investec South African Open Championship also earned spots at the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. However, with a three-way tie for second place, only the final two spots were available based on Official World Golf Rankings.

Francesco Laporta and Frederic Lacroix secured their places at Royal Birkdale. Laporta, who spent three years on the Sunshine Tour and calls South Africa his “second home,” will make his first Major appearance. Lacroix will make his second Major start after appearing at the 2025 U.S. Open Championship.

Hennie du Plessis narrowly missed out despite chipping in for birdie at the 17th. He found the water with his approach into the final green and made bogey, ultimately losing the Open spot due to his lower world ranking.

Winter Park, FL Connection

Among the notable performances this week was a tie for 43rd by Pierre Viallaneix, a former Winter Park High School Wildcat. As an assistant coach for the Winter Park High School Boys Golf Team, I’ve come to appreciate the caliber of talent that has come through the program over the years. While I arrived after Viallaneix’s time there, I’ve had the opportunity to cross paths with him at Wekiva Golf Club, where he occasionally practices when he’s in Florida and where I coach some of my private lesson students. The kid has got plenty of game indeed.

The Frenchman posted rounds of 71-65-73-69 to finish at 2-under par, earning €6,480.19.

Viallaneix has shown steady improvement this season with a tie for 40th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship earlier in the year. His second-round 65 demonstrated the quality of golf that has him knocking on the door of bigger finishes on the DP World Tour.