Canada’s Nick Taylor wins RBC Canadian Open in a playoff to end 69-year drought

TORONTO – Nick Taylor has won the RBC Canadian Open.

The Abbotsford, B.C., product rolled in a dramatic 72-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole Sunday to beat England’s Tommy Fleetwood and end a 69-year drought for Canadians at the men’s national golf championship.

Taylor and Fleetwood were tied at 17-under after 72 holes to top the tightly packed leaderboard at Oakdale Golf and Country Club. Both players birdied the first playoff hole and then picked up consecutive pars before Taylor’s stunning clincher on No. 18.

The wild celebrations included fellow Canadian golfer Adam Hadwin, who’s also from Abbotsford, get tackled by a security guard after he rushed onto the green to congratulate Taylor with a bottle of champagne

C.T. Pan, Tyrrell Hatton and Aaron Rai tied for third.

Taylor started the day tied for eighth at 11-under after he shot a course-record 63 in Saturday’s third round.

The last Canadian to win the event was Pat Fletcher in 1954.

This year’s edition was the one to do it.

With next week’s U.S. Open on the west coast at the Los Angeles Country Club most of the top-ranked players stayed away from Toronto to rest ahead of the third major of the men’s golf season.

No. 12 Sam Burns was the highest ranked player on the FedEx Cup standings in the Canadian Open field and he missed the cut. No. 13 Rory McIlroy saw the weekend, as did No. 16 Tyrrell Hatton.

The fact that eight Canadians made the cut — the most since 2002 — was also promising.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2023.