Nick Taylor of Canada wins the Sony Open in a thrilling playoff against Nico Echavarria, holing a clutch chip and pitch for victory.
Nick Taylor of Canada delivered another dramatic finish on Sunday, January 12, at the Sony Open . He chipped in for eagle on the 18th hole to force a playoff and ultimately won by sinking a superb pitch that set up a birdie. Taylor never looked like a likely winner at Waialae, especially after missing two short birdie chances down the stretch. However, his eagle chip from 60 feet on the par-5 closing hole for a 5-under 65 changed everything.
Nico Echavarria joined Taylor in the playoff with a great bunker shot for a tap-in birdie on the 18th, also carding a 65. They finished at 16-under 264. Taylor, who has five PGA Tour titles, won the last three in playoffs. He had to sink a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th on the first playoff hole to stay alive. On the second playoff hole, 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. Echavarria, who won in Japan last fall and finished one shot behind at Sea Island at the end of last year, 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. The victory sends Taylor to the Masters again, a big perk after a dismal end to last season. Stephan Jaeger and J.J. Spaun both left Waialae with plenty of regrets. They looked to be locked in a duel for the lead until the final three holes. Jaeger holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 14th to catch Spaun, who then followed by making a par putt from just inside 30 feet to stay tied for the lead. Jaeger didn't hit a fairway on the back nine except for an iron off the 15th tee, and it finally caught up with him at the end. He hit driver to cut off the dogleg on the 16th but it went so far left that it was never found, presumed to be out-of-bounds. Jaeger did well to make bogey off a provisional ball to stay only one behind — Spaun missed a 10-foot birdie putt that would have given him a cushion. And then Spaun made bogey from the bunker on the 17th. Meanwhile, 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. Jaeger and Spaun needed birdie on the par-5 closing hole to join the playoff. Jaeger hit 3-wood off the tee and didn't clear the bunker, and his second shot hit the lip and left him in the rough some 178 yards away. He went over the green and made par for a 67. Spaun from the 18th fairway missed to the right, the worst place to be because the pin was cut to the right with the wind at his back. He did well to get it to 10 feet, and then missed the birdie putt and shot 68
GOLF PLAYOFF TAYLOR ECHAVARRIA SONY OPEN
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