Golfbet recap: Final-hole birdie lifts Nico Echavarria to ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP title

Colombian Nico Echavarria has played in all five FedExCup Fall events this year, missing the cut in three of the five. But on Sunday afternoon in Japan, he turned that fifth start into his second PGA TOUR victory by holding off Justin Thomas and Max Greyserman in Japan, rolling in a short birdie on the 72nd hole to win the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP.

A total of 77 players were in action on Sunday at ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club, but only the three players atop the leaderboard had a realistic chance to win the tournament. Echavarria started the day with a two-shot lead at 17-under, paired in the final group with Thomas and Greyserman, but no one else started the day within six shots of the lead. Echavarria started the week as a +20000 longshot in the no-cut event but teed off the final round at just +125 at BetMGM Sportsbook, with Thomas at +150 and Greyserman the longest shot of the final group at +450 as he sought his first win after consecutive runner-up finishes at the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship this summer.

Nate Lashley, recent Sanderson Farms winner Kevin Yu and Rickie Fowler were the next closest competitors, all at 11-under – and none were shorter than +5000 to make the improbable comeback.

Round-by-Round odds for Nico Echavarria to win ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP (via BetMGM)

• Pre-tournament: +20000
• After Round 1 (T2, trailed by one): +2500
• After Round 2 (Led by two): +450
• After Round 3 (Led by two): +125

Thomas and Greyserman made up some ground on the leader, but Echavarria remained on top by himself until his first blemish of the day, a bogey at No. 8, dropped him back into a tie. All three players were now at 18-under heading to the final nine holes of the championship. It was here that Thomas became the betting favorite at +110. Echavarria became the longest choice at +350 and the price on Greyserman to win went to +125.

Results for outright selections from Golfbet Experts

• Will Gray: Sungjae Im (+1400): T13
• Ben Everill: Sahith Theegala (+1800): T56
• Chris Breece: Justin Thomas (+2000): T2
• Matt DelVecchio: Doug Ghim (+4000): T27
• Mike Glasscott: Hideki Matsuyama (+800): T46

Things got interesting again at No. 14. Thomas pulled his tee shot left and was in trouble. Two wayward shots for Echavarria led to his second bogey of the day and Greyserman holed an uphill putt of better than 28 feet for birdie to take the solo lead at 19-under. He immediately went into the role of the favorite at -145 to get his first-ever PGA TOUR victory.

Greyserman had company at the top after 16 holes, as Echavarria made birdie on the par-3 after pouring in a 12-foot putt. He moved to +120, with Greyserman at even money (+100) and Thomas back to +550 as he trailed by a shot with two to play.

Greyserman got in trouble off the tee on No. 17 and had to punch out but was able to save par with a clutch 6-foot putt to maintain a share of the lead. It was advantage Echavarria on the final hole, as he found the fairway with his tee shot and Greyserman again found trouble. Echavarria was now -145 to get the win while Greyserman dipped to +140.

Echavarria sealed the deal with a 273-yard fairway wood that reached the par-5 green in two, just 39 feet from the cup. He tapped in for birdie, his second TOUR win and a new tournament scoring record of 20-under.

Echavarria’s approach play and putting were what set him apart, as he was second in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and ranked eighth for SG: Putting. Echavarria is now 2-for-2 in converting 54-hole leads into wins, as he did the same last year for his first TOUR win at the Puerto Rico Open.

Thomas was seeking his 16th TOUR win overall and his first since the 2022 PGA Championship, and he was visibly frustrated after a closing birdie left him one shot short of a playoff. Ultimately, the putter let him down as he lost nearly two strokes to the field with the putter on Sunday and finished 47th in a field of 77 for SG: Putting.

Like Thomas, Greyserman came up one shot short as he was unable to birdie any of the final four holes after taking the lead with a putt on No. 14. Greyserman now has three runner-up finishes in his last five starts, but win No. 1 remains elusive.

Results from Rob Bolton Sleeper Picks and Golfbet Insider

• Max Homa to win (+5000) T27
• Will Zalatoris Top 5 finish (+550) T41
• Ryo Hisatsune Top 10 finish (+550) T46
• Kevin Yu Top 20 finish (+230) T16
• Chad Ramey Top 30 finish (+180) T46
• Eric Cole Top 20 finish (+130) T6
• Harry Hall Top 10 finish (+350) T13
• Satoshi Kodaira Top 20 finish (+750) 64th
• No hole-in-one (-110)
• Shugo Imahira Top 30 finish (+160) T56
• Ryosuke Kinoshita Top 30 finish (+210) T27
• Mac Meissner Top 20 finish (+188) T27
• Brendon Todd Top 30 finish (+140) 75th

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