Nico Echavarria chases Cam Young at Wyndham Championship, reveals food he won’t have while competing - Exclusive

By Garrett Johnston

Nico Echavarria is no stranger to Sunday pressure on the PGA Tour. In just his third season, the Columbia native owns two wins already on the PGA Tour and he's played some clutch golf so far when he’s needed to during this week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

The 30-year-old began the week at 65th in the FedEx Cup Playoff rankings-the top 70 after this week qualifying for next week’s opening playoff event at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. He enters Sunday projected at 44th in the rankings.

Echavarria stands in second place in the Wyndham Championship at 15-under and trails the leader Cameron Young by five shots (-20) with today’s final round left to go. Echavarria will play in the final group of a Tour event for the first time since March’s Valspar Championship when he shared the 54-hole lead with Jacob Bridgeman at 7-under par and ended up shooting a 3-over 74 to finish in a tie for sixteenth. 

A major close call before that came back in January when he lost in a playoff at the Sony Open in Hawaii to Nick Taylor.

Echavarria understandably has a few takeaways from the experiences.

“I think that feeling of being uncomfortable in those moments is not easy, but the more you’re there, the better it is for you and your mind in the long run,” Echavarria told Athlon at The Open last month in Northern Ireland.

Asked specifically about playing with the co-lead heading into Valspar’s final round and Echavarria says there was much to takeaway because the bright lights are on you the whole time.

“I learned a lot. I think it’s fun to be up there in contention on Sunday. I didn’t have the final day that I wanted, but the more you put yourself up there, the better you’re going to do in the future,” Echavarria said.

The two-time Tour winner also knows the importance of managing his emotions under that final round stress.

“Managing emotions in those pressure situations is huge. My adrenaline kicks up a bit and gets me going,” Echavarria said. “I used to have a lot of stomach issues, but my PT gave me some dietary stuff that makes me a little more stable with my gut. I also have a sensitive gut when I’m playing into the final rounds, and in competition.”

Does he have to be careful what he eats?

“Kind of. I just can’t have dairy. On any other day, I can have it, but during competition I’ve learned to cut it to a bare minimum,” Echavarria said.

Whatever it takes to perform your best, even if you have to lay off the ice cream until Sunday night.