Nico Echavarria Wins Zozo Championship
Medellin native Nico Echavarria clinched the Zozo Championship in Japan, marking his second PGA Tour victory and making him the second non-American to win the event. Echavarria finished at 20-under-par after four rounds at the Narashino Country Club.
The Colombian golfer opened with consecutive rounds of 64, followed by a 65 in the third round and a closing 67. His performance gave him a one-stroke victory over Americans Justin Thomas and Max Greyserman, who finished tied for second at 19-under. Thomas, a two-time PGA Championship winner (2017, 2022), was joined in the top four by Rickie Fowler, who ended three shots back at 17-under.
A pivotal moment came in the third round when Echavarria made an eagle on the par-5 18th. After a 300-yard tee shot, he nailed a 241-yard approach to within three feet of the hole, breaking a tie with Thomas to secure a two-shot lead heading into the final day.
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Echavarria’s first PGA Tour win came earlier this year at the Puerto Rico Open, where he shot 21-under to defeat Akshay Bhatia by two strokes.
The Zozo Championship, the PGA Tour’s only stop in Asia, saw its first non-American winner in 2021 when Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama won by five strokes with a score of 15-under.
