Canadians waited 69 years for this second. So what’s one other 4 holes?
Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., received the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday at Toronto’s Oakdale Golf and Nation Membership, changing into the primary Canadian man to win at dwelling since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
“To sort of break that curse, if [that’s] you wish to name — I am fairly speechless. I do not assume it’ll sink in for fairly a while what occurred right this moment,” Taylor mentioned.
What occurred was 22 holes of golf crammed with highs and lows — and a career-defining putt on the finish of all of it.
WATCH | Taylor makes 72-foot eagle putt to win RBC Canadian Open:
Taylor nailed the longest putt of his profession to clinch the match on the fourth playoff gap.
Tied at 17-under, Taylor, 35, duelled with England’s Tommy Fleetwood over 4 playoff holes — they matched one another with birdies and pars enjoying the 18th gap twice earlier than every making a par on the ninth.
And so off they went again to the 18th. Fleetwood’s tee shot landed in a bunker, however Taylor’s settled on the first reduce.
It allowed the Canadian to assault the inexperienced, and he did, leaving himself an extended eagle putt. Fleetwood, in the meantime, laid up and was standing over a putt for birdie.
Taylor did not let him hit it — he nailed his personal putt from 72 ft, the longest of his profession. The group across the 18th inexperienced leapt with pleasure.
“For that to drop was an enormous shock, however a tremendous one,” Taylor mentioned.
Adam Hadwin, the Abbotsford, B.C., native who tied for twelfth within the match, could not comprise his pleasure, speeding the inexperienced with a bottle of champagne in hand — solely to be tackled by an unknowing safety guard.
Following Nick Taylor’s profitable putt, safety tackled Adam Hadwin whereas he was attempting to have fun with Taylor, mistaking him for a fan. <a href=”https://t.co/G2ZaQhEhIK”>pic.twitter.com/G2ZaQhEhIK</a>
—@TSN_Sports
Elsewhere, tears flew and cheers streamed to the Toronto skies, which had been sending down rain all through many of the playoff.
Together with Hadwin, there was Canadian golf royalty: 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, who misplaced a playoff of his personal at this match in 2004, was there, celebrating on the inexperienced.
“It means every thing. I really feel like all of us help one another a lot, for them to stay round. I feel all of us mentioned it this week, if us individually weren’t the folks to win, we actually need one other Canadian to do it and break this lengthy drought.”
Corey Conners, the 18-hole chief who struggled Sunday to wind up tied for twentieth, was there to embrace Taylor as effectively.
“It is clearly an exhilarating second for Canadian golf,” Conners advised CBC Sports activities amid the celebration. “It has been far too lengthy and I am so thrilled for Nick. He is such an awesome man and been enjoying nice, so enjoyable to see.”
“That is probably the most unbelievable feeling ever.”<br><br>An emotional <a href=”https://twitter.com/ntaylorgolf59?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@NTaylorGolf59</a> makes an attempt to place into phrases what it means to win <a href=”https://twitter.com/RBCCanadianOpen?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@RBCCanadianOpen</a>. <a href=”https://t.co/ecOZGQ79s2″>pic.twitter.com/ecOZGQ79s2</a>
—@PGATOUR
The playoff took on the texture of a world competitors. Because the Canadian contingent adopted Taylor, Fleetwood’s countrymen Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Tyrell Hatton had been there to cheer on their man as he pursued a long-awaited first PGA Tour victory.
Fleetwood was greeted by applause as he left the inexperienced to signal his scorecard.
The group, in the meantime, was decidedly on Taylor’s facet — they booed Fleetwood’s dangerous pictures and politely clapped for his good ones.
“Good second for Nick and the followers right here,” Fleetwood mentioned. “So it is nice to be part of that Sunday and that playoff. I had my probabilities, actually. It wasn’t to be this time.”
WATCH | Nick Taylor wins Canadian Open, ending Canada’s drought:
B.C.’s Nick Taylor received the Canadian Open golf match on Sunday in a playoff to develop into the primary Canadian man to win the title since 1954.
‘Unbelievable second’
For Taylor, it was unbridled help, blended in with nerves.
As Taylor stored his place atop the leaderboard by means of the ultimate regulation holes, the crowds round him regularly swelled.
The Canadian was serenaded with the nationwide anthem, in addition to many chants with variations of his identify.
And the discharge when that surprising putt rattled the cup was paying homage to a hockey crowd watching its staff win a playoff recreation within the fourth extra time.
“I knew simply how pumped they had been and so they had been attempting to place each ounce of vitality into it to assist me pull it by means of,” Taylor mentioned.
Taylor turns into the fourth Canadian to win on the PGA Tour this season — probably the most ever. He joins Conners, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson within the winners’ circle. The latter two each missed the reduce at Oakdale.
“That’s the most superb factor I’ve ever seen!!!! Congrats @ntaylorgolf59! 20 years in the past @mweirsy impressed a bunch of Canadians like Nick to pursue their dream, and now Nick has accomplished the identical. What a second for Canadian golf,” Hughes tweeted.
It is Taylor’s third profession PGA Tour victory. He additionally received the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2015 and the Pebble Seashore Professional-Am in 2020.
He’ll now transfer on to the U.S. Open subsequent week at Los Angeles Nation Membership. He’ll additionally play in his second-ever Masters subsequent April.
Hatton, England’s Aaron Rai and Taiwan’s C.T. Pan tied for third at 16-under, whereas American Eric Cole fired a 9-under 63 to match the course file set by Taylor on Saturday and end tied for sixth.
WATCH | Taylor units course file in third spherical:
Abbotsford, B.C. native Nick Taylor fired a 9-under 63 at Oakdale Golf and Nation Membership Saturday setting a brand new course file after his third spherical of the Canadian Open.
Taking part in alongside Fleetwood and Conners on Thursday, Taylor struggled to a 3-over 75, leaving an uphill climb simply to make the reduce.
“I used to be on the seventh gap, I bear in mind, first day, my sixteenth gap, 10 ft for par and made that and birdied 8 and parred the final to considerably be within the reduce sight. So to be standing there after which sitting right here right this moment is fairly outstanding,” Taylor mentioned.
On Friday, he lowered his rating by eight strokes — greater than sufficient to make the reduce, however nonetheless leaving him with an early tee time on Saturday.
Taylor credited a “talking-to” from spouse Andie, who was at dwelling for the turnaround.
“I used to be simply sort of getting in my very own approach,” he mentioned. “I knew my recreation was there, however just a little kick within the butt did not harm.”
Taylor mentioned he spoke to Andie and three-year-old son Charlie briefly after his victory.
“[Charlie] was in all probability shocked, like what the hell is occurring? ‘I made a giant shot,’ although, that is what he mentioned.”
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For years, the winner of the Canadian Open golf match acquired a one-of-a-kind trophy carved by an Inuit artist. They turned treasured collectables for the winners.
The match started underneath a cloud of smoke — each literal and metaphorical. On Tuesday, the PGA Tour made a bombshell announcement that it was partnering with Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund, which backs rival tour LIV Golf.
On the similar time, smoke from the wildfires in northern Ontario and Quebec weren’t overly pervasive, particularly the deeper the match went. There have been no delays, and golfers mentioned it did not have an effect on them.
By Sunday, Taylor made certain the complete focus was on golf.
Throughout his third spherical, enjoying associate Greyson Sigg, wowed on the crowds following Taylor, requested Taylor if he was well-known in Canada.
Taylor mentioned no.
Now, that is about to vary. And he’ll be within the historical past books without end.
WATCH | Shock merger ends golf feud:
The golf world is being upended once more because the PGA Tour and its European counterpart, the DP World Tour, introduced plans to merge with rival, LIV Golf — the Saudi-backed upstart that poached prime gamers like Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman with the promise of huge paycheques.
