Nick Taylor celebrates making his putt on the 18th green to tie for the lead and force a playoff during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Feb. 11, in Scottsdale, Ariz..Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Nick Taylor is feeling pretty good right now, and he has some big goals to chase during a fascinating 2024 on the golf calendar.
Taylor had engraved his place in Canadian golf lore last June when he sunk a remarkable 72-foot eagle putt on a fourth playoff hole to win the Canadian Open, ending the tournament’s 69-year drought without a winner from its home nation.
If you were distracted by the Super Bowl on Sunday night, you may have missed Taylor coming up big in another pressure situation.
That’s precisely when the golfer from Abbotsford, B.C., was demonstrating his flare for the dramatic once again with a victory at the WM Phoenix. Taylor rallied from three shots down over the final four holes in regulation on Sunday, then beat Charley Hoffman on the second playoff hole, punctuating it with an 11-foot birdie putt as a boisterous crowd bellowed.
“I drew on the Canadian Open experience in the summer as much as I could,” Taylor told reporters during a video call on Tuesday. “To be able to make a putt again to win a golf tournament was incredible.”
It was Taylor’s fourth PGA Tour victory, and it came with a US$1.58-million prize. He and his family reside in Scottsdale, and he was thrilled to have his wife and two kids on site for this win. Parents to a four-year-old and a nine-month-old baby, they didn’t mind keeping the celebrations quiet. He said they ordered in pizza and called it an early night.
It had been a wild few days after all at the PGA event known for its massive crowds and party atmosphere. Taylor had shot a course-record 60 on Friday. Weather delays had played havoc with the event’s schedule during an uncharacteristically chilly week at TPC Scottsdale. The event saw crowds so thick and rowdy that they closed the gates at one point on Saturday and cut off liquor sales when things started to get out of hand.
Despite all the commotion, Taylor remained laser focused during his rally down the stretch of Sunday’s final round and used that energy to fuel him. He said he’s worked with a mental performance coach on a “chase mindset” – getting as many birdies as he needs in the clutch. Between regulation and two playoff holes, Taylor birdied the 18th hole three times in an hour.
“I want to be in those positions more and more,” Taylor said. “When I get into that kind of spotlight, I’m comfortable, so the hard part now is getting there as much as I can.”
Taylor now rises to a career-high 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking, which makes him the top-ranked Canadian man. In a few months, those rankings will be used to determine which two Canadian men will qualify for the Paris Summer Olympics.
With this latest victory, the 35-year-old moved up 11 spots in the Presidents Cup’s International Team standings to No. 3, trailing only Tom Kim and Jason Day. Taylor calls it a “huge goal” to try and earn a spot to play for captain Mike Weir this September when the event comes to the Royal Montreal Golf Club.
“That one has been on top of the list, along with the [Paris] Olympics,” Taylor said. “This is obviously a good start, but it’s a long way away. If I keep playing good golf I think it will take care of itself.”
His performance caught Weir’s eye too.
“To see the clutch play of Nick down the stretch to close in on Charley for the win was tremendous,” Weir said in a PGA Tour statement. “As captain, to have players who embrace the moment like he did [Sunday] is big for us, and these things can build momentum for Nick as well as the International Team.”
Rachel Brady