Nick Taylor prevails in Sony Open play-off for fifth PGA Tour win
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Nick Taylor of Canada posing with the trophy after defeating Nico Echavarria of Colombia in a play-off to win the Sony Open in Hawaii.
PHOTO: AFP
HAWAII – Winning the Sony Open almost became an afterthought for Canada’s Nick Taylor during the final round on Jan 12.
But get this guy into a play-off, and he knows what to do.
Taylor knocked in a birdie putt from less than three feet away on the second play-off hole to win the tournament in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
“I’m a bit stunned this worked out this way,” he said, after clinching his fifth PGA Tour win.
The 36-year-old from Winnipeg improved to 3-0 in PGA Tour play-offs, having claimed his third career title with an eagle on the fourth extra hole at the 2023 Canadian Open and winning the 2024 Phoenix Open with a birdie on the second play-off hole.
“I feel like I can rise to the occasion,” Taylor said. “It’s pretty fun.”
Taylor, who had a dramatic eagle to conclude the final round, matched Colombia’s Nico Echavarria with 16-under 264s. They both turned in five-under 65s in the final round.
Taylor and Echavarria were forced to repeat the par-five No. 18 after they both birdied it on the first extra hole. Taylor made a 10-foot putt and Echavarria followed by draining a 5½-footer. On the second play-off hole, Echavarria missed an 8½-footer for birdie to set up Taylor for the win.
Echavarria, 30, was trying to post a PGA Tour victory for the third consecutive year. In regulation, he birdied No. 18 after blasting from a bunker.
But on the second extra hole, he used three putts to par the 18th.
Taylor’s chip-in from the fringe for an eagle on No. 18 catapulted him into contention before waiting for others to finish to see if it held up.
That put him six under for the final 11 holes of regulation. It also was redemption after he missed back-to-back birdie putts from less than five feet away on the back side.
There were also several less-than-encouraging moments for Taylor along the way.
“It’s a tough day. I was one over through seven,” Taylor said. “Not really thinking about winning necessarily. Got on a birdie streak there. Then I missed two short putts on 15 and 16. I was a little down after those two missed putts.”
Echavarria recovered with eight birdies after bogeys on his first two holes and No. 11.
He said: “I am fighting for the tournaments. I fought hard today. I am playing very well and I must continue like this.”
American J.J. Spaun (68) and Germany’s Stephan Jager (67), who battled for the lead most of the day, shared third on 265, one stroke ahead of American Eric Cole (68). Jackson Suber (65), Adam Schenk (65), Patrick Fishburn (69) and 2025 US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68) tied for sixth another shot back.
It marked the sixth consecutive Sony Open decided by one stroke or a play-off. Four of those have involved at least one extra hole.
In those six tournaments, an American golfer has won only twice, including the late Grayson Murray in 2024. Taylor is the first Canadian to win the event.
On the DP World Tour, Laurie Canter and Tommy Fleetwood did not waste any time picking up the two points that Britain and Ireland needed from singles to beat Continental Europe in the Team Cup event in Abu Dhabi on Jan 12.
Justin Rose’s side, who went into the final day with an 11-4 lead in the race to 13 points, after winning the first two sessions 3½-1½ and the Jan 11 afternoon’s foursomes 4-1, went on to complete a 17-8 win.
Canter picked up the first point when he closed out a 5-and-4 win over Frenchman Romain Langasque. When Fleetwood, who was up against another Frenchman in Matthieu Pavon, and Tyrrell Hatton, who was facing Thorbjorn Olesen, each moved two up with two to play, securing at least a half-point each, victory was assured. AFP, REUTERS
