Nico Echavarría (-17) is the sole leader of the ZOZO Championship with 18 holes to go. The Colombian golfer will start this Sunday with a two-shot lead over Justin Thomas (-15) and three over Max Greyserman (-14). The victory at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club should be between these three. The fourth place is already at -11, six shots off the lead, shared by Nate Lashley, Rickie Fowler, and Kevin Yu.
Echavarría, a 30-year-old player from Medellín, already knows what it means to win on the PGA Tour. A year ago, he won the Puerto Rico Open, which earned him a two-year exemption on the tour, so his card is not at risk despite being ranked 113th in the FedEx Cup. He doesn’t have that extra pressure.
Obviously, the victory in Puerto Rico was a turning point in his career, as it changed his status as a golfer. It’s one of those weeks to look back on whenever doubts arise, something like a safety zone to regain confidence. His round today should also be stored in the same corner of his mind as Puerto Rico. It means a lot what he has done today in a vibrant and tough head-to-head with Justin Thomas.
At times, the third round of the ZOZO Championship was the closest thing to a match play between Echavarría and Thomas. It was a litmus test for the South American, and he passed it with flying colours. It seemed like the balance was tipping towards the American. Gradually, he was gaining ground during his round to the point that on the 14th hole, with a five-under-par for the day, the two-time PGA Championship winner took the lead by one shot.
The tournament was moving in a direction favourable to Thomas. Everything pointed to a powerful finish from the Kentucky player to secure his first victory in over a year and a half. However, the opposite happened, and the only one responsible for it is Nicolás. He responded to Thomas’s blow with a sensational birdie on the 15th hole. Textbook. A shot to a metre and a half from the flag and a holed putt.
They halved the 16th and 17th holes without much difficulty, with Thomas missing a good chance on the 17th, about four metres away. The 18th, an outstanding par 5 that can give you either an eagle or a bogey, was going to determine how things would stand going into the final round. Thomas had fresh in his memory the imperial eagle he achieved on this hole on Friday, but now it was Echavarría’s turn.
The Colombian hit a glorious 3-wood. Over 220 metres to the flag to leave it a metre away for eagle. Meanwhile, Thomas complicated things from the tee, hit a masterful second shot from the rough, moving the ball from right to left to avoid the trees, but he couldn’t make the approach and putt from the front of the green. He came up a bit short on the approach shot and missed the birdie putt from just over two metres.
Thus, suddenly, or rather with a slap, Echavarría regained at the last moment the two-shot lead he had at the start of Saturday’s round. A demonstration of strength and grit. A round to archive. A shot on the 18th that should serve him tomorrow when things get tough. He seeks his second victory on the PGA Tour and a new leap in his career. It’s the pressure of someone who wants to prove they have a place among the best, against someone who wants to reclaim it. A beautiful Sunday in Japan awaits us.
