Nick Taylor Wins Sony Open in Dramatic Playoff Finish

Nick Taylor pulled off another dramatic finish at the Sony Open in Honolulu, chipping in for eagle on the final hole to force a playoff before beating Nico Echavarria with a brilliant birdie in extra holes.

It wasn’t looking good for Taylor most of Sunday. He’d missed two easy birdie chances that should’ve been automatic. But everything changed when his 60-foot eagle chip shot found the bottom of the cup on the 18th hole, giving him a final round 65.

Echavarria wasn’t going down without a fight. He matched Taylor’s 65 with a clutch bunker shot for birdie on 18, setting up the playoff at 16-under-par.

Taylor’s got a knack for drama – this is his fifth PGA Tour win, and incredibly, he’s won his last three in playoffs.

The playoff itself was pure theater. Taylor needed to sink a 10-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole just to stay alive.

Then came the moment that sealed it. Playing the 18th again, Taylor hit what might’ve been the shot of his life – a perfectly weighted pitch from 46 yards that settled just 3 feet from the hole.

“I’m a bit stunned this worked out this way,” Taylor said, still trying to process what had just happened.

For Echavarria, it was heartbreakingly close. His 40-foot eagle try in the playoff came up short, and when he missed the birdie putt, Taylor had his victory.

“I misjudged the lag putt on the last hole,” Echavarria said. “But one bad putt can’t define a great week.”

The win means Taylor’s heading back to the Masters, a huge bonus after struggling late last season. It’s becoming a habit for him to win in spectacular fashion – just last year he drained a 70-foot eagle putt to win his home country’s Canadian Open.

Stephan Jaeger and J.J. Spaun had their chances too. They were battling it out at the top until things fell apart in the final three holes. Jaeger lost a ball off the tee on 16, while Spaun couldn’t convert the crucial putts when it mattered most.

Hideki Matsuyama, fresh off his record-breaking win at Kapalua last week, finished tied for 16th at 11-under. He was trying to become just the third player ever to sweep both Hawaii events.