Nicolas Echavarria csnatched a record from golf legend Tiger Woods by triumphing at the ZOZO Championship in Japan on Sunday. With fierce competition from contenders like Justin Thomas and Max Greyserman, the Colombian showed immense promise by clinching the title.
Echavarria dazzled with a 67 in his final round tallying up a score of 20 under par. Notably, his total score of 260 outdid the previous best set by Woods when he won the tournament in 2019, a victory that marked his last PGA Tour title until now.
In the clutch, the 30-year-old sank birdies in two of the last three holes, securing his second tour win, the first being at the Puerto Rico Open in October of the previous year.
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This latest feat isn’t just another notch on his belt; it’s a gateway to prestigious tournaments, scoring him an automatic invitation to the Masters at Augusta next April and qualifying him for the subsequent month’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
The thrill of competing in the Masters was palpable as Echavarria expressed, “I’m very excited to go to Augusta for the first time. I’ve never been. I was waiting to win myself that trip before going, and we’ve done that, so we’re going to be very happy to play the Masters in a couple of months.
“It’s incredible to win a tournament that Tiger’s won. This is my second victory, so I just need 80 more victories to catch him. I’m on my way, though.”
Woods has an astounding number of accolades under his belt, boasting 15 major titles and sharing the record with Sam Snead for a whopping 82 PGA Tour wins. With 41 victories on the European Tour too, Woods is sitting comfortably as the third most prolific winner there.
Tiger Woods saw his record broken (
(Image: Getty))
Echavarria, in contrast, has only dipped his toes in major championships a couple of times. He first appeared at the PGA Championship in 2023 but didn’t make it past the halfway mark. However, he stepped up his game at this year’s U.S. Open, tying for 54th place.
His recent triumph in Japan wasn’t just another notch on the belt; it also locked in his PGA Tour spot for two more seasons and guaranteed him a swing at the elite Players Championship come March at TPC Sawgrass.
The victorious golfer shared a touching insight into his personal life, disclosing that despite the challenging time difference, his parents in Colombia were glued to their screens throughout the night, witnessing his inspiring victory. “They stayed up all night watching the golf and I’m glad they did,” Echavarria beamed.
“Very happy and emotional just being able to talk to them because my parents are the reason I play this beautiful sport.”
