Nick Taylor produces magical Sony Open finish to land fifth PGA Tour title

Nick Taylor chipped in for eagle on the 72nd hole and then went on to defeat Nico Echavarria in a playoff to win the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Hawaii.

Taylor, 36, looked to have thrown away his chance of a fifth PGA Tour title when missing two short four-footers for birdie on the 15th and 16th but he quickly made amends when chipping in for eagle from beyond the green at the par-5 18th to join Echavarria in a playoff on 16-under par. 

The Canadian then holed a clutch 10-footer for birdie on the first extra hole to extend the playoff. 

Echavarria appeared to hold the advantage on the second extra hole, once again down the par-5 18th, but Taylor played a tremendous 50-yard pitch shot to two feet to pile the pressure on the Colombian who had a 50-footer for eagle from the back of the green.

But Echavarria came up some five feet shy with his eagle attempt and he would go on to miss his birdie putt on the right side. 

Taylor then tapped home from two feet for birdie to capture a fitth PGA Tour title and his first in nearly 12 months. 

"To make eagle on 18 and to be able to have a chance after missing those short putts at 15 and 16, I'm a bit stunned," said Taylor.

"Unfortunate to see Nico three-putt there to open the door for me but I rose to the occasion and it's pretty fun."

The win incredibly marks Taylor's first top 10 since he won his fourth PGA Tour title at the WM Phoenix Open in February 2024. 

"It's been a tough six, seven months but my wife and family have given me great support to lift me up and this makes it all sweeter."

Taylor has now won his last three PGA Tour titles in playoffs. 

Taylor and Echavarria both shot rounds of 5-under 65 alongside one another in the final round to set the clubhouse target of 16-under par. 

Echavarria was going in search of his PGA Tour hat-trick and a second win in his last six starts following some impressive recent form. 

J.J. Spaun and Stephan Jaeger will also be leaving Waialae CC thinking what might have been as both members of the final group were locked in a tense tussle at the top of the leaderboard for much of the final round. 

Spaun and Jaeger were tied for the lead on 16-under par with four holes to play and two shots clear of the chasing pack. 

But both players soon fell out of the lead when Jaeger made bogey on the par-4 15th after sending his tee shot OB and Spaun made bogey on the par-3 17th after failing to get up and down from the front greenside bunker. 

They then compounded those errors by both failing to birdie the par-5 18th, and they ended up in a tie for third on 15-under par. 

Jaeger carded a 67 and Spaun signed for a 68. 

Eric Cole, the last member of the final group, closed with a 68 to round out the top five on 14-under par. 

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley also posted a 68 to finish a further shot back in a tie for sixth on 13-under par. 

Check out full Sony Open scores here

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