Nico Echavarría didn’t have his best stuff this week — and still delivered a clutch top-10 finish to lock up a spot in the first two Signature Events of 2025.
In this candid press conference, Nico explains:
Why he felt “uncomfortable with the irons all week”
How a red-hot putter carried him into the top tier
The importance of qualifying for next year’s Signature Events
His honest thoughts on the new schedule and LIV’s influence
Why the fall stretch brings out his best golf
How the Sony Open field might shrink — and why that creates a huge early-season opportunity
“This wasn’t my A-game… but I battled. And getting into those events is HUGE.”
Don’t miss this raw and insightful reaction from one of the tour’s most determined grinders.
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Nico, how proud proud are you of your play this week and you going to be able to get in those first two signature events next year? Yeah, very happy. Um, to be honest, I didn’t have my best this week and having a result like that with your with your B game. I was kind of uncomfortable with the irons all week. The putter obviously got hot, so I’m very proud of the way I battled. How big is it to be able to get into those first two signature events next year? Well, it’s huge. It’s a lot of people are criticizing the the schedule the the decisions that we took with Liv uh of making these elevated events and it’s such so important to get into those and it’s so hard that I’m I’m glad I can I can play those first two like I did last year. Uh I hope I can I can get something more than I did this year because the start of the year is so important. Was that your goal coming into this week or what was your mindset? Yeah, the goal was was to I honestly thought only like a top 30 or top 40 would do it. I didn’t think I had to finish top 10 or top 15. So, I’m I’m very glad I I battled and I I finished I’m going to probably finish seventh or eighth. And you seem to have a lot of success in the fall. What is it about these events that just gives you the motivation? I like this course. Uh some people are tired at the end of the year. I am motivated just to to play well and and uh yeah, I’ve seemed to play good at at the end of the of the years in my career. How many guys do you think are going to go over and play Sony with with no no sentry the week before in terms of the top guys? And how big of an opportunity maybe is it to get off to a good start there? I think the field is going to take a hit. Um especially like you said the big names. Um but it’s still a good good place to start the year. I mean the weather’s perfect. You’re already going off off to the west coast. Palm Pal Palm Springs is the week after. So I think the field’s going to be affected but it’s going to be less than than what what you guys think.