Nico Echavarria has pledged to get a dog for his wife Claudia after winning the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, taking home a $1.728 million (£1.3 million) prize. The Colombian golfer, who married in November, had promised to buy a Bernedoodle if he secured a third career victory.
“The promise is we’re getting a dog because a dog is expensive, so we need a third win for a dog, that’s how it works,” Echavarria said. “We want a Bernedoodle. Min Woo [Lee] just got one.” The couple recently bought a new home in Florida, which will now welcome the new pet.
Echavarria’s win came after a dramatic final round where he overcame a three-shot deficit to beat Ireland’s Shane Lowry by two strokes. Lowry, playing in front of his four-year-old daughter Ivy, said: “The hardest thing about today is I’ve never won in front of my four-year-old, and she was there waiting for me.”
The victory also earns Echavarria an invitation to The Masters in April, marking his second appearance at Augusta National. Reflecting on his performance, he said: “I didn’t have my best off the tee, but I was able to manage. I had some good breaks.”
