The PGA was north of the border this weekend for the RBC Canadian Open, and Canada's own, Nick Taylor took home the W. How about that eh?
Nick Taylor tossed his putter into the air and jumped into the arms of caddie Dave Markle after he made a 72-foot eagle putt to become the first Canadian in 69 years to win his national open, and he doesn’t remember any of it. “I blacked out when that ball went in with Dave. So I’m curious to watch that, what we did,” Taylor said.
Taylor delivered a signature moment in Canadian sports when his uphill, left-to-right-breaking putt (the longest made putt of his PGA Tour career) hit the flagstick and dropped on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood for the RBC Canadian Open title.
With his dramatics, Taylor captured his third career title on the PGA Tour but the first of this magnitude. His fellow Canadians swarmed up, players and fans alike, and put the finishing touches on what can only be described as a win for the entire country. This included Adam Hadwick getting tackled by security as he tried to shower Taylor in champagne.
Tommy Fleetwood finished second(-17). Of all the heartbreaks, this one may hurt the most for the lovable Englishman. Late birdies on 16 and 17 set the stage for his PGA Tour breakthrough on the easy par-5 finisher, but Fleetwood was unable to capitalize. A par on the last meant a playoff with Taylor, where he let not one but two clinching putts from roughly 11 feet fall by the wayside. In his 119th start on the PGA Tour, Fleetwood captured his fifth runner-up finish when including those at the major championships and World Golf Championships. His performance on the 72nd hole and the playoff leaves a sour taste in the mouth, but should not distract from an otherwise fantastic week in Toronto.
This was a perfect ending to a great warm up for the upcoming weekend in LA for the US Open. Also shout out Rory, confirmed no longer has the clutch gene!
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