Nick Taylor wins Canadian Open with remarkable 72-foot putt
Winning with a remarkable 72-foot putt, Nick Taylor became the first Canadian golfer to win the Canadian Open since 1954 on Sunday, at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto.
The Winnipeg-born, Abbotsford, B.C.-raised 35-year-old won in a playoff over Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, after the two were tied at -17 after four rounds. Three playoff holes still weren’t enough to decide the winner, so they headed back to the 18th hole for a fourth playoff round.
There, Fleetwood's tee shot ended up in a bunker, but Taylor’s landed on the fairway, setting up an opportunity for the Canadian to strike. With his second shot Taylor found the green with Fleetwood preparing for a putt for birdie, but Taylor sunk a 72-foot putt to eagle the hole, winning the tournament, and not allowing Fleetwood to take his next shot.
“I’m speechless, this is the most incredible feeling ever,” an emotional Taylor said in an interview on CBS after his win. “I had a similar line in the second playoff hole, I knew it was going to be slow with how much rain we’ve had.
“I wanted to get as close as I can because Tommy, I thought he was going to make it. For that to go in, it is unbelievable… I don’t know what to say.”
Joining in on the celebrations after the final hole were fellow Canadian golfers Mike Weir, Adam Hadwin and Corey Conners — who watched together as the now-legendary putt dropped into the hole.
“It means everything, I feel like we all support each other so much,” Taylor said in his press conference about that Canadian trio being there to celebrate. “All of us have said it this week, if us individually weren’t the people to win, we really wanted another Canadian to do it and break this long drought. To have them there, it’s amazing.”
Hadwin, who was tackled by security when running onto the course to celebrate with Taylor, was the second-highest finishing Canadian, tied for 12th. Conners finished tied for 20th after leading after 18 holes, while 2004 runner-up Weir finished tied for 52nd.
The moment has been described by some as the biggest for a Canadian male golfer since Weir won the Masters back in 2003.
Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson, who have both won on the PGA Tour this season, missed the cut. With those two, Conners, and now Taylor, there has been a record four Canadians to come away with a win this year.
It is the third win for Taylor on the PGA Tour, after the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2015 and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2020.
He is the first Canadian to win the tournament since Pat Fletcher won at the Point Grey Golf Club in Vancouver in 1954. Fletcher was born in England, so Taylor is the first Canadian-born golfer to win the event since Karl Keffer did so in 1914.
With the win, Taylor takes home $1,620,000, his share of a $9,000,000 purse. Just a bit higher than the $3,000 Fletcher took home in 1954, or Keffer’s $100 prize.
Playing alongside Fleetwood and Conners in the first round on Thursday, Taylor struggled at times and shot a three-over 75. He had to battle hard to make the cut, and on Friday improved to five under par, completing the course in 67 shots.
On Saturday he tied the course record with a 63-shot round, before 66 shots on Sunday brought him to 17-under on 271 shots through the four rounds. Fleetwood, who shot 70-70-64-67, matched him, setting up the dramatic ending on Sunday with huge crowds firmly on his side.
Next up is one of the majors, the U.S. Open, at the Los Angeles Country Club next week.
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