Three-time PGA TOUR winner, Olympian and 2026 International Presidents Cup Team member will return to The Champion, where he captured the Cognizant Classic earlier this year, for the inaugural golf and social poker competition.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Reigning Cognizant Classic champion Nico Echavarria will join the inaugural Cards & Clubs Invitational January 11–13, 2027, at PGA National Resort, returning to the same Champion Course where he captured his third PGA TOUR victory earlier this year.
The PGA TOUR winner will play a featured role across the Invitational’s golf programming, interact with participating teams and join the event’s social poker experience alongside Poker Hall of Famer and 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker.
Echavarria brings one of the strongest possible connections to the inaugural venue. In March, he completed a bogey-free weekend at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, closing with a 5-under 66 to finish 17-under and win by two strokes. Three shots behind with three holes remaining, Echavarria birdied the par-3 17th in PGA National’s famed Bear Trap as the tournament turned dramatically in his favor.
The victory was Echavarria’s third on the PGA TOUR and his first in the United States. His previous TOUR titles came at the 2023 Puerto Rico Open and 2024 ZOZO Championship.
Later in 2026, Echavarria added another significant career milestone when he was selected by International Team Captain Geoff Ogilvy as one of six captain’s picks for the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club.
The selection marked Echavarria’s Presidents Cup debut and placed him on the 12-player International Team alongside players including Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Tom Kim and Min Woo Lee. Echavarria entered the selection process eighth in the International Team points standings after a season highlighted by his victory at PGA National.
Echavarria also competed in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and now has strong ties to South Florida after relocating to Palm Beach County.
“Bringing Nico into the inaugural Cards & Clubs Invitational feels like a perfect fit for what we are building,” said Tom Wheaton, Founder and CEO of Above the Felt Entertainment and creator of the Cards & Clubs Invitational. “He’s a three-time PGA TOUR winner, a Presidents Cup player and the reigning champion at the exact course where our teams will compete. Just as important, Nico gets what makes this different. He isn’t just showing up, he’s going to be part of the experience with our teams.”
Cards & Clubs Invitational is a new sports and entertainment property built around a private, team-based golf and social poker competition that brings leading companies together through executive relationships, premium experiences, brand integration and professional content.
The golf competition will take place on The Champion, home of the PGA TOUR’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches and the famed Bear Trap, before the competition moves to social team poker later that evening. Results from both games will contribute to the overall Cards & Clubs championship.
Echavarria’s involvement will extend beyond a traditional golf appearance. He will spend time with participating teams throughout the golf portion, share his perspective on The Champion and its signature closing stretch, and take part in the social poker programming. Echavarria plays cards recreationally, creating a natural crossover between the two competitive sides of the Invitational.
“PGA National will always be a special place for me after winning the Cognizant Classic there this year,” Echavarria said. “Cards & Clubs is a different concept, and that is part of what interested me. I like the combination of golf, competition and social poker, and I am looking forward to spending time with the teams, getting back on The Champion and being part of the first event.”
Echavarria joins Chris Moneymaker among the featured personalities scheduled to participate in the inaugural Invitational, bringing together accomplished champions from both golf and poker within the same team-based competition and private experience.
Moneymaker will be involved in the social poker programming, which is structured as a non-cash team competition with no real-money wagering.
Additional participating companies, personalities and event details will be announced as the field continues to take shape.
Organizations interested in learning more about current opportunities to become involved with the Cards & Clubs Invitational may visit CardsandClubs.com.
ABOUT NICO ECHAVARRIA
Nico Echavarria is a three-time PGA TOUR winner. He won the 2023 Puerto Rico Open, the 2024 ZOZO Championship and the 2026 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches at PGA National Resort.
Echavarria competed in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and made his Presidents Cup debut in 2026 after being selected as a captain’s pick for Geoff Ogilvy’s International Team at Medinah Country Club. He played collegiately at the University of Arkansas and turned professional in 2017.
ABOUT CARDS & CLUBS INVITATIONAL
Cards & Clubs Invitational is a new sports and entertainment property built around a private, team-based golf and social poker competition that brings leading companies together through executive relationships, premium experiences, brand integration and professional content.
The inaugural Cards & Clubs Invitational will take place January 11–13, 2027, at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The property is produced by Above the Felt Entertainment, a leading poker marketing, consulting, entertainment and talent agency.
