Aaron Rai finished the Cognizant Classic tied for 23rd, while Nico Echavarria clinched victory with an impressive final round, securing his place at the Masters tournament.
Key Points
- Aaron Rai finished tied for 23rd at the Cognizant Classic after a final round of even par 71.
- Nico Echavarria won the Cognizant Classic with a bogey-free weekend and a final round of 66, earning a spot at the Masters.
- Sudarshan Yellamaraju, another player of Indian origin, finished tied for 17th at eight-under.
Aaron Rai shot a modest even par 71 on the final day to sign off Tied-23rd despite being in contention for a Top 10 finish for much of the week at the Cognizant Classic at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida.
The Indo-British golfer had just one birdie and one bogey in the final round. With cards of 68-69-69-71, he totalled seven-under for the week.
Another player of Indian-origin Sudarshan Yellamaraju (68) finished Tied-17th at eight-under after cards of 68-72-68-68.
Echavarria Wins third PGA Tour title
Colombian Nico Echavarria did not make a bogey all weekend and shot five-under 66 to win despite being three shots back with three holes left. The win earned Echavarria a trip to the Masters in April.
It was Echavarria's third PGA Tour win and first in the United States. The US$ 1.728 million winner's check was the biggest of his career.
Brooks Koepka and Ben Silverman played all four rounds together this week and both holed out for birdie from the sand on the par-4 14th on Sunday.
Koepka closed with a 65 to finish in a tie for ninth, his best finish since returning to the PGA TOUR. The 2025 champion Joe Highsmith finished 67th out of 67 players who made the cut. He finished at 6-over 290.
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