Nico Echavarria on 'huge' goal of trying to make FedEx Cup Playoffs for 1st time - Exclusive

By Garrett Johnston

In two previous seasons on the PGA Tour, Echavarria failed to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs. After a good start at the final event of the regular season-the Wyndham Championship-it could be different now.

Nico Echavarria has a massive opportunity in front of him this week at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. After beginning his PGA Tour career with a win each season in both 2023 and 2024, Echavarria this week has a chance to qualify for next week's FedExc Cup Playoffs (top 70 after this week make it through) thanks to entering this week 65th and he began his tournament with a sizzling 7-under 65 to get into the top three on the leaderboard after Thursday's first round.

"It’s been a huge goal of mine," Echavarria told Athlon during The Open in Northern Ireland to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs. "Since I’ve made it out on Tour it’s been a lot harder to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs. It was top 125 and ow it’s top 70.

The top 70 once this event concludes make it to the first playoff event next week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis Tennessee.

"I think that the you just have to play better golf, especially cutting down the fields to 100 cards, it’s tough. It’s tough out there in the rules we have to make the playoffs, but guess what, that’s exactly what life is. If you don’t perform in your job in the professional world then you will probably get fired," Echavarria said.

Echavarria said it call comes down to one's perspective.

"You can see it like that, or you can see it like a challenge. But I’ve noticed my game has progressed in a good way. Now I’m more comfortable on courses that I don’t know as well. I struggled at Torrey my first two years and I was playing really well this year at the Genesis Invitational. 

Echavarria continued: "The courses that are long, I’ve thought were hard for me to compete at, but I’ve had good results. I stuggled at Valspar in my first two years, but this year I was leading going into the last day. I’ve seen a lot of progress and playing four majors this year has been awesome. Playing the way I am now and the event I'm in is exactly where I want to play."

It's good that he's reached some of his goals, but how does he keep the playoffs a goal without being fully obsessed with it?

"I like to keep those goals, and trying to be focused on doing the best job that I can do and seeing where that takes me. But since the first tournament of the season, the goal has been to finish top 50, and the difference in finishing in the top 50 and getting into the signature events is huge. It’s a big difference. In the big scheme, those things are very important."