Taylor never looked like a winner at Waialae, especially after missing two short birdie chances down the stretch. That changed all so suddenly when his eagle chip from 60 feet rolled in on the par-5 closing hole for a five-under 65.
Nick Taylor fist pumps after his eagle at the 18th hole. (AP PHOTO)
Colombian Echavarria joined him with a great bunker shot for a tap-in birdie on the 18th and a 65. They finished at 16-under 264.
Taylor has five PGA Tour titles and won the last three in a playoff.
He had to hole a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th to stay alive on the first playoff hole. Playing the 18th again, Taylor went from a fairway bunker to 46 yards short of the cup. His pitch was close to perfect, landing on the front of the green and rolling with the grain and wind to just inside 3 feet.
Echavarria was just on the collar at the back of the green, but his 40-foot eagle putt came up seven feet short and he missed the birdie putt.
The victory sends Taylor to the Masters again, a big perk after a dismal end to last season. He had won the Phoenix Open with clutch putts in a playoff last year.
His best playoff win was at home in the Canadian Open in 2023 when he made a 70-foot eagle putt.
"I'm a bit stunned this worked out this way," Taylor said with a smile.
"It was just one of those where you try to go until they don't let you play anymore.
"Fortunate for me, really good things happened at the end."
Nico Echavarria has to settle for second place. (AP PHOTO)
Germany's Stephan Jaeger and American J.J. Spaun both left Waialae with plenty of regrets.
From the time they made the turn, it looked like a duel between them to decide the winner, and they put on a great show in the last group until the final three holes.
Jeager made his first bogey at the 16th and could only par the par 5 18th as he shot 67 and tied for third with Spaun, one shot outside the playoff.
Spaun made his only bogey at the 17th and also had to settle for par at the last in a 68.
On a day when 15 players were separated by three shots at the start, those four were the only ones who seriously threatened at the end.
Hideki Matsuyama, who won with a PGA Tour record 35-under par last week at Kapalua, closed with a 66 and finished at 11 under and tied for 16th in his bid to become only the third player to sweep Hawaii.
Australian veteran Aaron Baddeley finished last of those who made the halfway cut, with a closing 71 leaving him at three over.
