Nicolás Echavarría will take home $1.728 million as the winner of the 2026 Cognizant Classic after finishing 17-under par, with the tournament featured a total purse of $9.6 million at PGA National Resort – Champion Course. The payout matches the standard prize money for a full-field PGA Tour event this season, with 500 FedEx Cup points also awarded to the champion.
Shane Lowry, Taylor Moore, and Austin Smotherman finished tied for second place (-15), each earning a share of the runner-up prize money ($1.0464 million) after a tightly contested final round. Ricky Castillo finished alone in fifth place (-13), taking home ($393,600).
“I got good breaks and you need good breaks to win out here,” Echavarria said. “I wasn’t sure if my shot on 17 was going to get over the water. When it did, my caddie just told me to make it.
“On 18, my caddie told me Shane hit it into the water again, so I just played for a par. This has been an amazing week.”
The win also came during a big moment in Echavarría’s personal life, as he revealed during the tournament that he and his wife closed on a new home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
“We just got married. We want to have kids soon. So that extra help with my wife’s parents that live 45 minutes to an hour away would be huge,” he said, adding that the couple expects to move in within the next few weeks.
How the Prize Money Is Distributed
What’s Next on the PGA Tour Schedule
Following the Cognizant Classic, the PGA Tour heads to one of the biggest non-major events of the season, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. The tournament will be held March 2-8 at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. It is one of the Tour’s Signature Events, meaning a significantly larger purse ($20 million) and a limited field featuring many of the top players in the world. This year includes Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Collin Morikawa to name a few. Last year’s winner was Russell Henley.
At the same time (March 2-8), another group of players will compete at the Puerto Rico Open. While the purse is smaller ($4 million), the tournament offers a full set of FedEx Cup points and a two-year Tour exemption to the winner, making it a crucial opportunity for younger players, sponsor exemptions, and those fighting to keep their Tour status.
This year’s event will also feature a refreshed course experience designed to bring fans closer to the action, highlighted by the new El 19 fan zone – a lively hub with food, bars, and live music located near the driving range and putting green.
Events like the Puerto Rico Open often produce breakthrough winners, and for many in the field, it represents one of the best chances of the season to secure a career-changing victory. Karl Vilips took the win as a rookie last year.
Cognizant Classic Purse: How Much Money Does the Winner Make?