BOGOTÁ, Colombia – American James Nicholas drained a four-meter putt for eagle on the 72nd hole to secure a dramatic victory at the 16th edition of the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard. With the three he carded on the par-5 18th hole at the Country Club of Bogotá, the 28-year-old New Yorker finished the fourth tournament of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season at 19-under-par 265. He finished two strokes ahead of fellow American Norman Xiong, who had taken the clubhouse lead an hour and a half earlier. Xiong finished alone in second place at 17-under-par.
“I want to reach the PGA TOUR, which is the highest level in golf, so this means a lot,” said Nicholas, visibly emotional about the way he got the job done. “Making eagle on 18, when I was literally shaking over my tee shot, my second shot, and the putt, was incredible.”
An active content creator on Instagram and YouTube, Nicholas earned his first Korn Ferry Tour victory in what was the 69th start of his career on the circuit. The 500 points he collected vaulted him to third place on the Points List, putting him in a strong position in the race for one of the 20 PGA TOUR cards to be awarded at the end of the 26-tournament season.
Weather conditions were largely ideal on the final day of a championship that had been interrupted by electrical storms over the first three days. The day began with the field completing the third round and then playing the final round without a regrouping of players. As a result, Nicholas—who played in the penultimate group—logged 29 holes on Sunday.
With four of the 26 tournaments on the 2026 schedule now completed, the Korn Ferry Tour will take a two-week break before resuming with the 119th Visa Open of Argentina presented by Macro. That fifth event of the season will be played at the Jockey Club of Buenos Aires, Argentina (February 26–March 1), followed by the Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank (March 5–8) at Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago, Chile.
About the Champion
James Nicholas (-19)
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Offset three bogeys (holes 4, 12 and 14) with six birdies (holes 2, 5, 6, 8, 13 and 16) and an eagle on the par-5 18th to close with a final-round 5-under-par 66 and win by two shots over Norman Xiong.
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Successfully defended the 54-hole lead he held. This marked his first time leading after 54 holes on the Korn Ferry Tour, in his 69th career start.
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Previously, his best finish on tour was a tie for third at the Compliance Solutions Championship in October 2025.
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Played 29 holes on Sunday due to the suspension of the third round on Saturday.
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Made his third appearance at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard (missed the cut in 2022, T19 in 2025, winner in 2026).
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Finished No. 64 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List to secure exempt status for the 2026 season.
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Turned professional in 2019 and has competed on the Korn Ferry Tour in the 2020-21, 2022, 2023 and 2025 seasons.
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The 28-year-old New Yorker played collegiate golf at Yale University (2015–19), winning five tournaments including the 2019 Ivy League Championship. He was named Ivy League Player of the Year in both 2018 and 2019.
Notes on the Five Latin Players Who Made the Cut
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Chile’s Cristóbal Del Solar, who led by three shots after an opening-round 61 (-10), was the top Latin American finisher. He posted a 2-under-par 69 in the final round to finish tied for eighth at 13-under-par 271. This was his second top-10 finish in three appearances at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard (solo fifth in 2024 and T13 in 2023), and his first made cut of the 2026 season.
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Argentina’s Jorge Fernández Valdés closed with a 4-under-par 67 to move up 26 spots and finish tied for 25th at 8-under-par 276. It marked his third top-25 of the season, which already included two top-10 finishes (T6 at The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise and T7 at the Panama Championship). He began the week No. 9 on the Points List and ended it at No. 14.
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Colombians Camilo Villegas and Ricardo Celia finished tied for 48th at 5-under-par 279. Villegas surged early in the final round with four consecutive birdies from holes 14 through 17, but closed his front nine with a double bogey on the par-5 18th, posting rounds of 70-70 over the final two days. Celia briefly threatened the top 25 with two early birdies in his final round, but played his final nine in 3-over to sign for a 72 (+1). He moved to No. 122 on the Points List after making his first cut of the season, in which he holds conditional status.
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Argentina’s Vicente Marzilio, tied for third after an opening-round 65, carded rounds of 72-71-72 over the final three days to finish tied for 53rd at 4-under-par. It was his second made cut in four starts during his rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
