Nick Taylor will never have to buy a Molson at a 19th hole in Canada for the rest of his life.
The 35-year-old from Winnipeg claimed his third PGA Tour win on Sunday at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in North York, Ontario, after a marathon four-hole playoff with Tommy Fleetwood and made a little history on the side as the first Canadian to win his national open since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Taylor ended the 69-year drought and tournament in style with a 72-foot prayer of a putt that was answered by the golf gods and produced a miraculous moment for the tens of thousands of Canadian fans who weathered the rain to witness it.
“It feels, I can’t even describe it. This is the most incredible feeling,” said Taylor. “The fans were unbelievable all day. Every green, every tee box I was getting ovations and to make those last two putts to give myself a chance to do that, I’m speechless.”
WALK-OFF WINNER FROM 72 FEET!
@NTaylorGolf59 wins @RBCCanadianOpen with the longest putt of his career!
pic.twitter.com/lJtiIM43vN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 11, 2023
“Nice moment for Nick and the fans here. So it’s great to be a part of that Sunday and that playoff. I had my chances, really. It wasn’t to be this time. But, yeah, congratulations to him,” said Fleetwood, who is still chasing that elusive first PGA Tour win. “I had my chances and didn’t take ’em.”
Tyrrell Hatton (64), Aaron Rai (67) and C.T. Pan (70) finished T-3 at 16 under, with Eric Cole (63) and Mark Hubbard (70) three shots back, T-6 at 14 under.
After making the cut by just one shot, Taylor fired a course-record 9-under 63 on Saturday to move within three shots of the lead entering the final round. Five birdies over his first ten holes propelled Taylor to a three-shot lead at 16 under with eight holes to play, but by the time he tapped in for his first bogey of the day on the 11th hole, his lead was just one.
In a matter of minutes Cole signed for a 63 of his own and was in the clubhouse at 14 under, and he was shortly joined in second by Fleetwood and Rai after the pair made birdies on Nos. 8 and 12, respectively. Hatton joined the party and tied Taylor at 16 under after he birdied his final four holes to sign for his second 8-under 64 of the week. Rai threw his name in the mix with a birdie on the last, leaving a three-way tie for the lead with Taylor on the par-5 18th tee.
His approach to the green went long into the rough, and his chip shot left a six footer for birdie. Taylor took a few steps and let out an epic fist pump as his putt curled in from the right side of hole to take the clubhouse lead with a 6-under 66. Fleetwood birdied two of his last three but made a disappointing par thanks to two bad shots on the 18th hole and forced a playoff at 17 under with a 5-under 67.
Both players found the fairway on the first playoff hole, No. 18, but each blew the approach and missed the green to the left. Despite an awkward stance with a foot in the bunker, Taylor hit a beauty of a pitch and left just a few feet for birdie. Fleetwood juiced his from the rough but got up-and-down with a lengthy birdie putt to apply the pressure on Taylor, who made his putt just as it started to rain to take the playoff back to the 18th tee.
From the fairway Fleetwood missed his approach on the second playoff hole even further to the right, so far in fact that it landed in the hospitality tent. Taylor took advantage and ran his approach from the first-cut rough just to the left of the green, but a long way from the back right pin. Taylor’s chip left something to be desired as it came up woefully short of the pin, leaving a 20-foot birdie putt. Fleetwood got a drop in the thick, wet rough and hit one inside Taylor to 11 feet. After Taylor’s effort missed low and right, Fleetwood missed high and left to send the playoff to the par-3 ninth.
Taylor just missed the green but left a short putt from the fringe while Fleetwood’s shot clung to the edge of the green just a few feet closer. Both missed their putts and tapped in for par, sending this marathon match back to the par-5 18th for a fourth playoff hole.
After a poor tee shot forced Fleetwood to lay up, Taylor’s found the front-half of the green from the first cut, leaving a 72-foot putt for birdie. Fleetwood’s approach came up short of the pin, leaving 12 feet from a similar location as one of his previous missed birdie putts. With his nation watching, Taylor buried the putt and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
The win is Taylor’s third of his career after he previously claimed the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship. He had missed the cut in his last two starts but now has six top-10 and two runner-up finishes this season.
