Nico Echavarria

Nico Echavarria was playing only the 11th event of his rookie season on the PGA TOUR when he won the 2023 Puerto Rico Open by two strokes from Akshay Bhatia.

He stood 406th in the world at the time, but earned an exemption to Royal Portrush in 2025 – his first Open – after rising to 51st in the rankings ahead of the Championship.

Echavarria’s second PGA victory came in the 2024 Zozo Championship in Japan, where he again shot four rounds in the 60s and beat Justin Thomas and Max Greyserman by one, making birdies at two of the final three holes.

"It's incredible to win a tournament that Tiger's won," he said. "I just need 80 more to catch him – I'm on my way.”

A third PGA TOUR win arrived at the Cognizant Classic in March 2026 when Echavarria took advantage of two late double-bogeys by hitherto leader Shane Lowry to win by two.