Nico Echavarria’s amazing prediction, Shane Lowry’s heartbreaking quote and the wildest celebrity hole-in-one ever

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we might have a problem. With Starburst jellybeans. I rarely have Starbursts, and I never have jellybeans (especially those fancy ones with a bunch of flavors, which are awful). But every few years I seem to get hooked on Starburst jellybeans, and this is my worst relapse yet, because they’re being sold at Costco. In this giant container:

Seriously, I can’t stop eating these things. It’s bad. But the first step is admitting you have a problem, so hopefully I’ll be able to find my way back on the wagon. In the meantime, allow me to grab another handful of these tiny pieces of heaven and talk about what’s happening in golf.

Nico Echavarria: I’m not sure if Nico likes candy, but he certainly enjoyed a celebratory beer after pulling off an unlikely victory at the Cognizant Classic:

Good for him, because that was a wild finish at PGA National. Echavarria thought his tee shot on the par-3 17th might be wet, but instead, he made birdie while leader Shane Lowry was being eaten alive in the Bear Trap (more on that in a bit). I’m also buying the fact that Nico was literally buying a house (with help from his wife) during Friday’s second round. A process that is even more stressful than playing the Bear Trap in tournament conditions:

Congrats to the Echavarrias. What a week.

Casey Jarvis’ timing: A couple weeks ago, this 22-year-old South African had yet to win on the DP World Tour. Now he has a couple of titles, including his national open.

Warren Little

Even better? With Augusta National changing its qualifying criteria last year to include more national opens, Jarvis will now be making his first Masters start next month. Not to mention, he earned a spot in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale this summer.

Nico Echavarria near the lead entering Sunday: What a weird career this guy has had. To put it in Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World terms: “Nico doesn’t always contend in golf tournaments, but when he does, he prefers to win.” The guy has only made the cut in half of his career PGA Tour starts (47 of 94) and only finishes in the top 10 about 10 percent of the time, but yet he has three wins, all coming in the past three years.

Mike Ehrmann

In other words, PGA Tour pros should be scared when they see this guy's name surface on the leaderabord.

Shane Lowry near the lead entering Sunday: Especially at PGA National. The Irishman has let this tournament get away from him a few times, but none more painfully than Sunday when he held a three-shot lead (and a 96.7 percent chance of winning, according to Data Golf) and proceeded to hit consecutive watery tee shots en route to making back-to-back double bogeys for the first time in his PGA Tour career.

But it gets worse. Look at this stunning stat showing his inability to win golf tournaments when in contention:

He’s been kind of like the anti-Nico Echavarria. Which is particularly crazy given the fact that he’s a major champion and a Ryder Cup hero who just sunk the clinching putt for all of Europe this past fall. There isn’t a more pressure-packed situation in sports and yet Lowry let this happen on Sunday. There’s no shame in it, because no one is immune to nerves on a golf course. But we also have to praise Shane for speaking to the media after and making no excuses. He also gave this amazing quote about wanting to win for his 4-year-old daughter:

As a fellow girl dad, that really got me. Good job, Shane. Hopefully, the next one goes your way.

Ryan Gerard’s bachelor pad: The rising PGA Tour star gave a tour of his crib, and, wow. No table to eat at, only golf course logoed cups to drink from and putting mats and putters as far as the eyes can see:

Even a golf sicko like myself thinks that’s a bit much. Anyway, enjoy it while you can, Ryan.

Jason Kelce’s golf boots: Speaking of things being a bit much … I love that almost every celebrity these days is playing golf. But (Sorry, Jason) these golf boots are hideous:

Also, there’s no way it’s more comfortable to play in those. Not buying it for a second.

The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing continues with the Arnold Palmer Invitational, AKA that one they play at Bay Hill, AKA that one where Tiger used to win in walk-off fashion every year. Sadly, Tiger has been relegated to walk-in fashion these days—as in showing off various Sun Day Red looks when he shows up for TGL matches.

That’s a bit loud for my tastes, but (hint, hint) I love the other Sun Day Red stuff Tiger wears. Just saying. Anyway, the PGA Tour will also be in Puerto Rico, the LPGA is in China, the DP World Tour stays in South Africa and LIV Golf is in Hong Kong. Busy week!

Random tournament fact: John Daly II will make his PGA Tour debut at the Puerto Rico Open after receiving a sponsor's exemption along with Blades Brown, Miles Russell and Yanhan “The Toddler” Zhou. What an electric group of young players. Now that’s how you use your sponsor's exemptions!

—Shane Lowry will blow another three-shot lead with three holes this week: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Anyone will blow a three-shot lead with three holes this week: 1,000-to-1 odds

—John Daly II will have some of the biggest galleries in Puerto Rico: LOCK

Sorry, Shane, but this is too insane not to point out:

As Ben Hogan famously said, “Golf and tournament golf are about as different as tennis and ice hockey.”

Speaking of insane, golf fans thought Ryan Gerard hit a bird with a tee shot and pulled a Randy Johnson:

But it turns out it was an optical illusion:

It also makes a lot more sense that Gerard’s ball still went 218 yards onto the green. Anyway, moving on …

Congratulations to Hannah Green and her husband and caddie Jarryd Felton on winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Gotta say, they did a good job keeping things professional in the aftermath of such a big win:

Andrew Redington

I also gotta continue to say that more players would be better off going with significant others as caddies. Would it lead to more breakups? Possibly. But the prize money stays in the family! And then there was this great player-caddie embrace after Alistair Docherty claimed his first Korn Ferry Tour title:

Great stuff.

What a potentially WILD purchase:

Ryan Gerard, if you’re reading, this would go perfectly in your bachelor pad.

Shout-out to Yankees All-Star infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. for making a hole-in-one on a 328-yard par 4! Even crazier?! He did it using a range ball!

Congrats, Jazz. But, man, the Yanks really have cut back in spending, haven’t they?

“I told her (wife Claudia) on Monday and I told John, my financial adviser, on Monday that I was going to win this week. That I felt that way. I told him it was feeling good, that I was glad I’m out of the poa greens, I was hitting the ball good, and here we are.” —Nico Echavarria. Nailed it, Nico.

Congrats to Boston Common Golf Club on claiming the top seed entering the TGL Playoffs. Considering Boston went winless last season, this has to be considered one of the all-time turnarounds in sports. … And the winning doesn’t stop for Rory McIlroy, who also teamed up with his dad, Gerry, to claim the prestigious Seminole Pro-Member. A green jacket and a Seminole Pro-Member title in a 11-month span? Talk about a historic double. … Speaking of double accomplishments, congrats to Michael Lang and Chris Pipsair pulling off the seemingly impossible, making holes-in-one on the same hole in the same group!

The feat happened on No. 3 at Baton Rouge Country Club in January. You just gotta feel for the third guy in their group, Curt Ritchie. Better luck next time, Curt. … But my favorite hole-in-one story of the week involves my longtime golf buddy and former high school basketball coach Mark Finegan, who also happens to be the commissioner of my annual golf trip. After about four decades of playing golf and swearing that he’d never make a hole-in-one, it finally happened with a rescue club from 178 yards on the eighth hole at Spanish Wells North:

Congrats, Fin! And to think, all it took was him retiring and playing golf literally every day for the past 18 months to get it done. Anyway, there's hope for everyone out there searching for their first ace—especially if you retire.

Which of my golf buddies will make a hole-in-one next?

Is Nico Echavarria predicting another win this week?

Is there a candy addiction hotline?