Nico Echavarria and his long-time lover Claudia De Antonio ate steak on a Wednesday night in Japan. It was the greatest steak he’d ever had.
On Sunday, it was time to return. A well-deserved celebratory lunch after smashing the tournament score record at the Zozo Championship and winning for the second time on the PGA TOUR.
Echavarria was in top form this week. And now he’ll receive his steak.
“It is surreal. This moment is incredibly special.” Echavaria said.
The Colombian native, who won the 2023 Puerto Rico Open for his first Tour win, shot a final-round 67 at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club to beat Justin Thomas and Max Greyserman by one stroke.
Thomas battled a frigid putter on the back nine Sunday, hitting eight consecutive pars before birdieing the final hole to finish at 19-under. Greyserman was 19-under going into the 72nd hole, but he put his drive into trouble on the right side. He had a 24-foot birdie attempt on No. 18, but it just missed, leaving the door open for Echavarria.
Unlike the Wyndham Championship, where Greyserman had a 4-shot lead with 5 holes to play but lost by two, he battled till the end and finished 2nd for the 3rd time in his previous 5 TOUR starts.
“It wasn’t like Wyndham, where I handed it over. I felt great out there the entire time. I didn’t execute as well as I should have down the stretch. I mean, Nico got up there and hit a tremendous second shot (on 18). He deserved it.” Greyserman said.
Echavarria had a 3-footer for the win on the final hole, which the 30-year-old calmly drained. He rejoiced with a double fist pump and a big, heartfelt hug for De Antonio.
“It was nice to be so close throughout the day. (Thomas and Greyserman) got out to a fast start, and it was quite level over the final, I don’t know, 13 or 10 holes. Max played admirably. Justin has been playing quite well, hitting many excellent putts that did not go in. But, ultimately, it was wonderful to complete birdie-par-birdie and take this home. It’s his second triumph on the PGA TOUR; few individuals win twice on the PGA TOUR. I’m just going to enjoy it as much as I can and prepare for the next one.” Echavarria said.
Echavarria attributed his recent success to an adjustment in his putter grip. He is ranked 106th on the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting for the season, but he finished 8th this week. He also finished 2nd in Strokes Gained: Approaching the Green.
Echavarria had his coach in Las Vegas, who gave him a few drills to help him tighten up with the flatstick, he explained. Echavarria still felt something was missing, so on Tuesday morning in Japan, he adjusted his grip. 5 days later, the change has paid off handsomely.
Echavarria’s only 2 top-10 individual achievements on the PGA TOUR have been triumphs (he tied for 4th place with Greyserman earlier this season at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans). He had missed 3 cuts in his previous four starts before Japan, and he was the surprise leader coming into Sunday’s conclusion after setting the 54-hole tournament score record.
However, he stated that victory number 1 gave him complete confidence in victory number 2.
“I doubt I would have won this week without the victory in Puerto Rico. I drew a lot from that moment in the last round on Sunday in Puerto Rico; I used it this week to stay patient and calm. This is a highly hard course. There are a lot of difficult holes, which I used to my advantage to finish the course and defeat two excellent players.” Echavarria said.
Echavarria will earn numerous benefits as a result of his victory, including his maiden trip down Magnolia Lane for the Masters in 2025. He’ll be able to represent Colombia at Augusta National, like he did in Paris this summer for the Olympics. He said it was “very cool” to win on the PGA TOUR for the second time, and he believes it would help to increase the game’s popularity in his home country.
Echavarria’s parents were watching television in the middle of the night at their home in Medellin, Colombia. Their son called as soon as he could following his victory. And there were tears of joy.
“They remained up all night watching golf, and I am pleased they did. It makes me very pleased and emotional just to be able to chat to them because my parents are the reason I play this wonderful sport.” Echavarria said.
A fantastic victory, with a beautiful meal to celebrate.
