Nick Taylor wins Canadian Open, 1st Canuck since 1954 to raise trophy

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A seven-decade curse proved no match for a kick in the butt from his wife as Canadian Nick Taylor is the 2023 RBC Canadian Open champion.

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After beginning the week with a 3-over-par 75, Taylor shot a course-record 63 on Saturday and followed it up with a 6-under 66 on Sunday to reach 17 under before beating Englishman Tommy Fleetwood in a marathon playoff to become the first Canadian man since 1954 to win his national open. Taylor rolled in a magical 72-foot putt on the fourth playoff hole that turned Oakdale upside down.

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“My eyes just kept getting bigger and bigger, and then I think I almost blacked out,” Taylor’s caddie and longtime friend Dave Merkle told Postmedia on the 18th green.

Taylor outdueled a packed leaderboard that included two-time defending champion Rory McIlroy, major champion Justin Rose and finally Fleetwood in sudden death to raise the trophy at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

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“There’s so much adrenalin runing through my body right now. I was more nervous for him in the playoff than I was during my own round today,” Adam Hadwin said. “To do it that way, this is right up there with greatest Canadian golf accomplishments with Brooke Henderson winning in Regina, and obviously (Mike) Weir winning the Masters in 2003. And up there truly with some of the greatest accomplishments by a Canadian athlete in history.”

It was an astounding end to an absurd week that, for the second year in a row, saw the Canadian Open well on its way to being hijacked by blockbuster events in the world of golf before being saved by a finish for the ages. Last year, it was McIlroy’s repeat win amidst a crazy scene at St. George’s; this year was even bigger with Taylor cementing his name in Canadian golf history as a Canadian Open champion and one of just five Canadians to win three or more PGA Tour events.

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“To start the week the way he did and come back to win the tournament is such a testament to him,” Mike Weir said. “It’s been long overdue.”

After a disappointing opening round, Taylor admitted to feeling a little sorry for himself after potentially playing his way out of a tournament he dearly wanted to win. A conversation with his wife Andie back in Nashville, which he described as a “kick in the butt,” got him back on track.

“My wife gave me a kick in the butt, I was just too negative out there,” Taylor said. “We try to have fun out there, but sometimes we can take it a little too seriously at times.”

As if the pressure of an entire nation wasn’t enough, Taylor followed up the boisterous par-3 Rink Hole 14th with a walk-and-talk interview on CBS that had legendary announcer Jim Nantz and Masters champion Trevor Immelman feeling a little nervous.

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“I can’t say enough about him coming on,” Nantz said.

“I was a little nervous about that,” Immelman said. “Trying to choose my worlds wisely.”

For a few holes it looked as though on-the-fly interview might have been a jinx, as Taylor bogeyed the 16th hole to fall one shot back of clubhouse leader Tyrell Hatton, who shot a an eight-under 64 to finish in a tie for third at 16-under with Aaron Rai (67) and 54-hole leader C.T. Pan (70). But Taylor brushed off the mistake with a birdie-birdie finish making 18- and 12-foot putts on the final two holes.

Taylor wasn’t the only one with friends following his every move in the playoff, Fleetwood had fellow Englishmen Justin Rose and Tyrell Hatton racing between hole 18 and nine as the playoff scene shifted.

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“Tommy’s a good lad,” Rose told Postmedia in the middle of the action. Aaron Rai also found the playoff too riveting to miss, following along as well.

Thursday night’s pep talk from his wife wasn’t the only time Taylor’s family has helped him on the course. The 35-year-old welcomed his second child last month and recently told Postmedia that since having a family he’s been forced to become more economical with his practice time, which he said might have been a blessing in disguise.

“I’ve been very diligent in working on the same things and not just searching when I get to the range,” he said at the time.

Along the way, he has rediscovered a short game that was a great strength years ago when he was the top-ranked amateur in the world.

With the win, Taylor becomes the first Canadian of his generation to win three times on tour, jumping one ahead of Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes. Most importantly, he supplants Pat Fletcher as the answer to the trivia question of who was the last Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open.

MORE TO COME…

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