Nico Echavarria wins the Cognizant Classic with a flawless weekend after Shane Lowry melts down late

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Nico Echavarria didn't make a bogey all weekend. Shane Lowry was on his way to doing the same, until the very end.

And that's what decided the Cognizant Classic.

Echavarria — who was three shots back with three holes left — shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday to win at PGA National, finishing at 17-under 267 and beating Lowry (69), Austin Smotherman (69) and Taylor Moore (68) by two shots.

“It was a blessing today,” Echavarria said. “I didn’t have my best off the tee, but I was able to manage. I had some good breaks. To win out here, sometimes you have to have good breaks if you’re not Scottie Scheffler that hits it every time in the perfect place. So, I’m happy with how it went.”

Lowry — who remains snakebit by PGA National, where he has now finished in the top 11 for five straight years without a victory — was undone by consecutive double bogeys at the par-4 16th and par-3 17th, both resulting from tee shots that drifted way right and into the water.

“I had the tournament in my hands and I threw it away,” Lowry said. “What more can I say?”

It was Echavarria's third PGA Tour win and first in the United States, and this one earned a second Masters invitation for the 31-year-old from Colombia. The $1.728 million winner's check was the biggest of his career, about $200,000 more than what he got for winning the Zozo Championship in Japan in 2024.

He could use the cash, too. Echavarria closed on a house in South Florida last week, and promised his wife that when he got his third win, they would add a dog to the family.

“I was hitting the ball good, and here we are,” Echavarria said. “We’re getting a dog.”

Lowry — who also had Sunday leads at PGA National in 2022 and 2024 — was rolling along, chipping in for birdie on the par-4 ninth to start a run where he went 5 under in a five-hole stretch.

And he had a three-shot lead over Echavarria going to the par-4 16th. That's where his nightmare began.

Lowry's long iron off the tee was way right and found the water. After a penalty drop, he hit a wedge back to the fairway and his fourth shot found a greenside bunker. From an awkward stance, he blasted to 3 1/2 feet and rolled in the putt for double bogey — trimming his lead to one.

While all that was happening, Echavarria hit his approach on the par-3 17th to about 10 feet. He made the putt to pull into a tie, punching the air as he watched the ball roll into the hole.

Lowry then made another double at 17 with an iron shot that was well short and right. He needed a miracle on the par-5 18th after playing his second shot into a greenside bunker. Lowry's shot from nearly 30 yards skidded by, and Echavarria — in the scoring tent, watching the finish — knew he had won.

“It’s uncharacteristic for Shane, a major champion, but it’s just a testament to what this game is like,” Smotherman said. “I mean, you just have to stay in it for 72 holes.”

Lowry was second in 2022 when the event was still called the Honda Classic, losing the lead after getting caught in a deluge on the final hole. He tied for fifth at PGA National a year later, had the solo lead going into the final round before finishing tied for fourth in 2024, then tied for 11th last year.

This was, on paper, his best finish at PGA National. It just didn't feel that way.

Max Homa (tied for 13th) and Tom Kim (59th) had a doubleheader Sunday. They were playing for Jupiter Links in a TGL match Sunday night, just about 5 miles away from PGA National. Homa wasn't sure if he’d ever had two competitive events in one day before.

“I doubt I have,” he said. “I’m sure when I was young I might have got close, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head.”

Brooks Koepka and Ben Silverman played all four rounds together this week — and both holed out for birdie from the sand on the par-4 14th Sunday. “I’m sure he’s tired of me now,” Koepka said. “He’s a good player. I’ve known him for a long time.” Koepka closed with a 65 to finish in a tie for ninth, by far his best finish since returning to the PGA Tour. ... Max McGreevy made an albatross on the par-5 third hole. It was the first at PGA National in the tournament’s 20 years at the course, the tour said. ... Defending champion Joe Highsmith finished 67th out of 67 players who made the cut. He finished at 6-over 290, 25 shots worse than a year ago.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Nico Echavarria of Colombia holds the Cognizant Classic Trophy at the end of the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Brooks Koepka hits from the 18th tee during the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Nico Echavarria hits from the rough on the first green during the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Brooks Koepka putts one the 17th green during the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Shane Lowry of Ireland hits from the third tee during the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Nico Echavarria of Colombia show his ball on the first green during the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for a second day on Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw the future of the Islamic Republic into uncertainty and raised the risk of regional instability.

There were explosions in Tehran on Sunday night as Israel said it was taking its attacks to the “heart” of Iran’s capital.

Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel and at U.S. military installations around the Gulf, and also at the Saudi capital and the global business hub of Dubai. Earlier Sunday, Iran selected a 66-year-old cleric to join the three-member leadership council that will govern the country until a new supreme leader is selected.

A senior White House official says that “new potential leadership” in Iran has suggested they are open for talks with the United States. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said President Donald Trump says he is “eventually” willing to talk, but for now the military operation “continues unabated.”

Trump told The Atlantic in an interview on Sunday that he planned to speak with Iran’s new leadership. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said, declining to comment on the timing.

Here is the latest:

U.S. President Donald Trump is making his way back in the nation’s capital after a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate while the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran.

Aides said Trump held calls with leaders around the Middle East and was briefed on the mass shooting in Austin over the weekend.

He also attended a closed-door Republican fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night.

But the president didn’t hold a Mar-a-Lago press conference to talk about Iran, nor did he speak to reporters aboard Air Force One while flying back.

So far, Trump has only talked about Iran in video messages he posted on social media, and in short spurts after taking phone calls from individual reporters. Those calls weren’t recorded for audio or video.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the United Nations that the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “opens a dangerous Pandora’s box."

Araghchi wrote in a letter to the U.N. on Sunday that the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “constitutes a grave and unprecedented breach of the most fundamental norms governing relations among States.”

He once again called on the world body and the Security Council to take measure to ensure accountability from the U.S. and Israel for their role in the killing.

“Such conduct does not merely violate established principles of international law; it recklessly opens a dangerous Pandora’s box, eroding the bedrock of sovereign equality and the stability of the international system,” he added.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has ruled out Australia taking part in military strikes against Iran.

“We didn’t participate in these strikes and we wouldn’t anticipate participating in the future,” Wong told Nine Network television on Monday.

Australia is a close ally of the United States and sent troops to join U.S. and British forces in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Wong said Australia supported U.S. and Israeli military action aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability.

Iranian health ministry official said teams are evacuating a general hospital in Tehran.

The evacuation of Ghandi hospital late Sunday came shortly after strikes shook the neighborhood in northern Tehran, striking a transmitter used for Iranian state television signals and parts of a state television building, according to witnesses. The building and transmitters are located near the hospital.

The semiofficial Tasnim news agency posted videos that showed broken glass littering parts of the hospital, as well as debris that covered the street, and damaged buildings.

Health Ministry official Hossein Kermanpour said on X that Ghandi hospital was targeted and evacuated. He didn’t elaborate but posted videos of emergency teams evacuated patients.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine will brief Congress on the U.S. military operation against Iran next week, the White House said Sunday.

Spokesman Dylan Johnson said the four would speak to “the full membership of both chambers of Congress on Tuesday, March 3.”

He added that Pentagon officials had briefed congressional staffers on the conflict for more than 90 minutes on Sunday.

Iranian missile debris lightly injured four people, including three children, in the town of Ain Terma in the Damascus countryside on Sunday evening, Syria’s state news agency SANA said.

The injured, a father and his three daughters, were transferred to a hospital, SANA said, citing the director of Ambulance and Emergency at the Health Ministry. It added that their injuries were minor and treated immediately.

Top diplomats of six Gulf states called on Iran to immediately halt its attacks on their territories which they said violated their sovereignty and threatened to undermine regional security and stability.

The foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain had a virtual emergency meeting Sunday following the U.S-Israel strikes on Iran that triggered Iranian barrage of missiles on U.S bases and other civilian infrastructure, including airports, hotels and in some cases, residential areas. The foreign ministers condemned the attacks they said targeted their territories and Jordan.

The Gulf top diplomats said their countries retain “their legal right to respond and the right to self-defense,” according to international laws.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. will not join in strikes on Iran but has agreed to let the U.S. use British bases for attacks on Iran’s missiles and their launch sites.

Starmer said Sunday that Iran was striking at British and its allies’ interests, and “the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source.”

Britain had previously refused to allow the United States to use U.K. bases to attack Iran.

Starmer said Sunday he was authorizing their use because of the threat from Iran’s attacks on countries across the region. He said “we are not joining these strikes but we will continue with our defensive actions in the region.”

Starmer said Royal Air Force jets have intercepted Iranian strikes as part of defensive operations in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump said of U.S. service members killed that America will ’avenge their deaths.”

The president made the comments in a roughly six minute video he posted on social media Sunday afternoon. He called the three service members “true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.”

The president went on and added: “Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more.”

The State Department is allowing non-essential U.S. diplomats and families of all government personnel to leave Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar as U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation continue.

In updated travel advisories issued on Sunday, the department said it had moved to reduce its diplomatic footprint in Doha, Kuwait City and Manama “due to security concerns.”

It added that private American citizens should reconsider travel to Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar because of the “threat of armed conflict” and significant disruptions to commercial air travel in the region.

An Israeli military official says a variety of factors created near-perfect conditions for Israel and the U.S. to kill much of Iran’s leadership in the opening strike of the war.

The official says that months of planning and close coordination with the U.S., combined with real-time intelligence that the targets were gathered together, allowed the two allies to strike in the joint operation on Saturday morning.

The official says the airstrikes targeted three locations, all within 60 seconds of one another, killing Iran’s supreme leader and some 40 senior officials, including the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. He said that striking in broad daylight added an additional element of surprise.

The official said Israel and the U.S. agreed that striking the leadership was the best way to open the operation. Otherwise, he said they would quickly disperse and go into hiding once the attacks began. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert operation.

“We had a great opportunity, great intel, great execution,” he said.

By Josef Federman

Israel’s top general praised his military’s early gains in fighting with Iran, while warning the public that “many more days of combat lie ahead.”

After a day marked by warning sirens, strikes and at least nine deaths from one Iranian attack, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir mourned fatalities in the town of Beit Shemesh and hailed “significant achievements” that he said Israel and the U.S. had made thus far. The two countries’ strikes on Iran took out high ranking security officials and Supreme Leader Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Patience and resilience are required now. We are operating in close cooperation with our ally. Coordination with the U.S. military is closer than ever,” Zamir, the army’s chief of the general staff, said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has discussed a timeline for the fighting in Iran during a phone interview with a British newspaper.

“We figured it will be four weeks or so,” Trump told the Daily Mail. “It’s always been about a four-week process, so, as strong as it is -- it’s a big country -- it’ll take four weeks, or less.”

The U.S. military said three service members have been killed, the first known American casualties from the conflict. Trump called those killed “great people.”

“You know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately,” Trump told the newspaper. “Could happen continuous — it could happen again.”

Loud booms and explosions rocked Jerusalem on Sunday night as another batch of Iranian missiles attempted landfall.

Shelters were full and some residents concurred that the booms were the loudest they’d heard since the start of the war.

It was not immediately clear whether the booms were the sounds of missiles landing or of interceptions.

The diplomat who mediated indirect nuclear talks held last week in Geneva between the U.S. and Iran has called for negotiations to resume, saying that the “door to diplomacy remains open."

Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said in a post on X that there had been a “genuine progress toward an unprecedented agreement” during the last round of talks.

“I still believe in the power of diplomacy to resolve this conflict,” he said. “The sooner talks are resumed the better it is for everyone.”

Oman’s Duqm Port earlier Sunday was struck by Iranian exploding drones, wounding one worker.

Britain, France and Germany — known as the E3 — said they are ready to work with the U.S. and partners to help stop Iran’s retaliatory attacks.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a joint statement that they are “appalled” by Iran’s “reckless” strikes on their allies which are threatening their service members and citizens in the region.

“We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source. We have agreed to work together with the U.S. and allies in the region on this matter,” the statement said. It did not provide further details.

The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national in a missile attack in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Mary Ann V. de Vera, 32, a caregiver from Basista, Pangasinan, had been working in Israel since 2019. Her identity was confirmed through biometric records at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, where her husband also positively identified her remains.

Ambassador Aileen Mendiola conveyed condolences to the family and assured them of the Philippine government’s full assistance, the embassy said in a statement.

President Emmanuel Macron said the conflict has prompted France to reinforce its military posture and its defensive support for allies in the Middle East. He did not elaborate.

Noting that a drone hit a hangar Sunday at a French naval base, he said France needs to "be able to adapt our posture to the evolution of the last few hours." France has military bases in the Gulf.

Chairing an emergency defense meeting in Paris, Macron said top security officials would discuss the risks the conflict creates for France, and its economic consequences. Macron spoke with the leaders of several countries around the Mideast over the weekend.

On Monday, Macron heads to a nuclear submarine base where he is expected to update France’s nuclear weapons doctrine to take into account the evolving global security context.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken to the leaders of Israel, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, without providing further details.

Trump has spoken to leaders throughout the region since the start of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told a briefing that 100 fighter jets simultaneously struck government targets in the Iranian capital on Sunday.

He said the targets included buildings belonging to Iran’s air force, its missile command and its internal security force, which violently quashed anti-government protests in January. “Our message to the Iranian regime is clear,” he said. “No one is immune.”

Defrin also said Israel has activated an additional 100,000 reservists to fortify Israel’s borders. He said there was a special focus on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which so far has stayed on the sidelines of the latest war.

“We are keeping a close eye on Hezbollah,” he said.

The United Arab Emirates has closed its embassy in Iran and announced the withdrawal of its diplomatic mission after strikes from the Islamic Republic hit the country.

The announcement from the Gulf country’s Foreign Ministry comes as Iranian retaliatory attacks targeting U.S. bases in the Mideast have hit Dubai airport and other civilian buildings, forced the closure of its airspace, and disrupted daily life.

“The Foreign Ministry as confirmed that this decision reflects its firm and unwavering position against any aggression that threatens its security and sovereignty,” the statement said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a message of condolence over the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in U.S.–Israeli airstrikes.

In a post on X, Erdogan emphasized Turkey’s commitment to peace and stability in the region, adding that Ankara would continue working toward a “return to diplomacy” to help end the conflict.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said his administration extended its “deepest condolences” to Iran’s people and its government for what he called the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“This heinous act constitutes an unscrupulous violation of all norms of international law and human dignity,” he wrote in a post on X. “In Cuba, he will be remembered as an outstanding statesman and leader of his people who contributed to the development of friendly relations between Cuba and Iran.”

Iraqi security forces have fired tear gas at dozens of pro-Iran protesters trying to enter the heavily-fortified Green Zone in Baghdad where the U.S. Embassy is located.

Protesters in Iraq earlier marched to mourn Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who was killed Saturday in a series of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.

Iran-backed Iraqi militias have claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. bases in the country in solidarity with Tehran. The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is one of the largest globally.

Blasts rocked northern Tehran and rattled windows on Sunday night, according to a resident of the Tajrish district, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

The reports of explosions came as the Israeli Defense Forces announced that its Air Force was continuing strikes on targets in Tehran.

Mehdi Taj, the president of Iran’s soccer federation, cast doubt on the national team’s ability to play World Cup matches in the U.S. later this year.

Iran is scheduled to play two World Cup games in Inglewood, California, and one in Seattle.

Taj told an Iranian sports television show he wasn’t sure how it would be possible following Saturday’s strikes.

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Taj told sports portal Varzesh3.

A senior White House official says that “new potential leadership” in Iran has suggested they are open for talks with the United States.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said President Donald Trump says he is “eventually” willing to talk, but for now the military operation “continues unabated.”

The official did not say who the potential new Iranian leaders are or how they made their alleged willingness to talk known.

Trump told The Atlantic in an interview on Sunday that he planned to speak with Iran’s new leadership.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said, declining to comment on the timing.

By Matthew V. Lee

U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that nine ships in the Iranian navy had been “destroyed” and sunk, “some of them relatively large and important.”

Trump said the rest of Iran’s fleet of military vessels “will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!"

The death toll in strike at an all girls school in southern Iran has risen to 165, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The local prosecutor of Minab in Iran’s Hormozgan province was quoted Sunday as saying 96 other people were injured in the strike.

A local official said the casualties from the Saturday strike included students, parents and school staff.

The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area. The U.S. military said it was looking into the reports.

Sen. Chris Murphy is predicting that the air campaign against Iran will backfire and result in an even more hardline government in Tehran.

“We’re not going to get a democracy. We’re going to get an even worse leadership,” Murphy told CBS’ “Face the Nation”. “It’s no secret that our allies in the region, with the exception of the right-wing government in Israel, they begged us not to take this action.”

The Connecticut Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said regime change in Iran would never succeed without troops on the ground — something that President Donald Trump has ruled out.

Barring that, Murphy said he expects the Iranian regime to hold on to power and reconstitute itself in a more hardline form.

This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows a F/A-18E Super Hornet makes an arrested landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) after a mission in support of Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy via AP)

A black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates following reports of Iranian strikes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Smoke rises up after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Smoke rises up after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People watches from a rooftop as a plume of smoke rises after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and Israel, and to show solidarity with Iran, in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Government supporters mourn during a gathering after state TV officially announced the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shown in the poster, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A group of men wave Iranian flags as they attend a demonstration in support of the government and against U.S. and Israeli strikes in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An incoming projectile explodes over the water as Israel issues a nationwide alert following its strikes on Iran, in Haifa Bay, northern Israel, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

People watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(AP Photo)

Ruins remain in the aftermath of an Israeli-U.S. strike in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Amir Kholousi/ISNA)