Ireland’s Shane Lowry says he had the Cognizant Classic “in my hands but threw it away” as he found water off the tee on both the 16th and 17th holes to blow his three-shot lead.
The Ryder Cup star looked set for victory at Palm Beach Gardens but double bogeys on those two holes allowed Colombia’s Nico Echavarria to win on 17 under par.
Lowry ended two shots behind on 15 under for a share of second – the same position he finished in the Dubai Invitational earlier this year.
At Dubai Creek, Lowry made a double bogey on the final hole to finish runner-up and the 38-year-old admits his failure to close out victories stings.
“I’m obviously extremely disappointed. I had the tournament in my hands, and I threw it away,” said Lowry, who holed the putt that retained the Ryder Cup for Europe last year.
“I’d say I was beaten that day in Dubai. But I beat myself today. That’s twice this year now. I’m getting good at it.
“What can I say? I played unbelievable all day, and one bad shot on 16 completely threw me for the last three holes. This is going to be hard to take.”
On the last 13 times Lowry has entered the final round of a solo tournament in the top three he won just once – The Open in 2019.
He says missing out in Florida was particularly difficult because he is still waiting for his first victory in front of his four-year-old daughter.
“I only wanted it for her. I don’t care about anything else. I wanted it so bad. Just to see her little ginger hair running down the 18th green would have been the most special thing in the world,” he said.
“I thought I had it. I thought I was going to win.”
Four birdies as well as an eagle on the 10th had Lowry cruising towards victory before it unravelled in the final three holes.
Echavarria, 31, took advantage by carding five birdies in a five-under 66 that secured his third PGA Tour victory.
Americans Taylor Moore and Austin Smotherman were tied second alongside Lowry on 15 under overall.