Canadian Nick Taylor prevails in playoff at Sony Open in Hawaii
Abbotsford, B.C. pro eagles 18th hole of final round to tie Nico Echavarria
Canada's Nick Taylor delivered another theatrical finish Sunday, this time chipping in for eagle on the 18th hole to get into a playoff at the Sony Open and winning with a superb pitch that set up birdie to defeat Nico Echavarria.
Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., never looked like a winner at Waialae, especially after missing two short birdie chances down the stretch. That changed all so suddenly when his eagle chip from 60 feet rolled in on the par-5 closing hole for a 5-under 65.
Echavarria joined him with a great bunker shot for a tap-in birdie on the 18th and a 65. They finished at 16-under 264.
Taylor has five PGA Tour titles and won the last three in a playoff. He had to hole a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th on the first playoff hole to stay alive.
Playing the 18th again, Taylor went from a fairway bunker to 46 yards short of the cup. His pitch was close to perfect, landing on the front of the green and rolling with the grain and wind to just inside 3 feet.
WATCH | Nick Taylor wins Sony Open in playoff:
Echavarria was just on the collar at the back of the green, but his 40-foot eagle putt came up 7 feet short and he missed the birdie putt.
"I'm a bit stunned this worked out this way," Taylor said with a smile.
So was Echavarria, who won in Japan last fall and finished one shot behind at Sea Island at the end of last year. His approach to the 18th on the first playoff hole looked to be about 20 feet away on the fringe until the wind gave it a nudge off the green into the rough.
"I misjudged the lag putt on the last hole. I didn't think it was going to be that slow. Didn't consider the wind," Echavarria said. "The wind kind of held it and my lag putting today was a little off, which is a strength of mine. But, I mean, just one bad putt can't define a great week."
The victory sends Taylor to the Masters again, a big perk after a dismal end to last season. He had won the Phoenix Open with clutch putts in a playoff last year. His best playoff win was at home in the Canadian Open in 2023 when he made a 70-foot eagle putt.
WATCH | Nick Taylor's incredible putt to win Canadian Open in 2023:
Echavarria and Taylor rallied in improbable ways. Echavarria made a 15-foot par save on the 15th, a 12-foot birdie on the 16th, saved par from a bunker on the 17th and then hit a splendid bunker shot across the 18th birdie to get up-and-down for birdie.
Taylor looked like he had lost his chances by missing a pair of 4-foot birdie putts. He was two behind when he holed his 60-foot chip for eagle on the 18th hole.
