Nick Taylor’s playoff win at the PGA Tour’s Sony Open has fans abuzz

The PGA Tour stayed in Hawaii this week for the Sony Open. As the golfers tipped over on Sunday, the score was up in the air, with JJ Spawn, Steven Jagger, Nico Echavarria and Nick Taylor all having chances to win. Taylor birdied the 18th to tie Echavarria with two others behind them. Neither could birdie, forcing a two-man playoff. Nick Taylor won for the 5th time on the PGA Tour

Spaun and Jaeger were at -15 on the 18th tee, and Echavarria and Tailor were at -16 under. Jaeger made a questionable decision by stalling. He had to putt from behind the field to join the playoff and couldn’t get it to drop out.

@ZackFlatto also overturned his decision to postpone, “This is a disaster management course from Stephan Jaeger.”

Spawn did take a driver but missed the green with his second shot. He had to go up and down the short field to join the playoffs. His shot went long and the putt missed to the right, missing a chance for his second PGA Tour win.

That forced a playoff between Nick Taylor and Nick Echavarria that didn’t stop with fireworks Sunday night,

Nick Taylor is first in the Sony Open playoffs

On the first playoff hole, Taylor hit a birdie putt and Echavarria drained it right at him. That was on the same par-five 18th hole where Spaun and Jaeger couldn’t get the birdies to join them. None of these players are superstars get people to sign up for PGA Tour or TGL golfbut it was an exciting ending.

Taylor hit a fairway bunker with his tee shot while Echavarria was in the fairway. Their second shots left Echavarria in a favorable spot just behind the green. But a great chip by Taylor and a poor putt by Echavarria turned the playoff around and gave the Canadian his fifth PGA Tour victory.

Taylor won his native Canadian Open in 2022 and the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2023, all in playoffs. This win at the Sony Open puts him in the PGA Tour’s Signature Events Series and The Masters.

Justin Ray of the Twenty First Group put his recent success into perspective. “If Nick Taylor keeps winning, he would be the first player to win a PGA Tour playoff in 3 consecutive seasons since Bubba Watson over a decade ago (2010, 2011, 2012).”