(Toronto) The fans couldn’t have asked for a better end to the tournament.
British Columbian Nick Taylor putted a long putt on the fourth hole of overtime and beat Tommy Fleetwood to win the Canadian Open on Sunday.
72 feet from the hole, Taylor rolled a spectacular putt and the ball finally ended its swing against the flag and at the bottom of the cup. It was the longest putt of his career.
Mike Weir, Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin and Golf Canada executives raced to Taylor to celebrate with him as thousands of fans lined the course.
Taylor also ended Canada’s 69-year winless drought at the men’s tournament. Pat Fletcher, in 1954, was the last Canadian to triumph in front of his supporters.
Taylor started the day tied for eighth at 11 under. He had clocked the course record at Oakdale Golf Club with a 63 on Saturday.
For about an hour, neither golfer seemed to want to claim victory. However, the end of the final round announced an interesting extension.
Taylor put the pressure on, birding twice on her final two holes to take the lead. Fleetwood tied it though with a birdie at the 16th and 17th pennants.
Stepping off the 18th tee, the Englishman sent his first two shots into the long grass and his third very deep on the green. He had to settle for a normal.
Both golfers birdied on the first overtime hole, but then offered erratic play that did not serve their cause on the next two overtime holes. Taylor ultimately closed the books without giving her opponent a chance to stay in the fight.
The wild celebrations saw Hadwin, also from British Columbia, being tackled to the ground by a security guard as he ran onto the green to celebrate with his compatriot.
” It’s incredible. What can you say about one of the greatest moments in Canadian golf history? I think we all predicted it would happen, mentioned Hadwin, who insisted he didn’t feel the tackle due to adrenaline. I’m not convinced anyone predicted a 72-foot long putt on the fourth overtime hole. ยป
Taylor and Fleetwood finished the first 72 holes with a cumulative score of minus 17. C.T. Pan (70), Aaron Rai (67) and Tyrrell Hatton (64) tied for third, just one stroke from an appearance in the extension.
As the U.S. Open takes place on the U.S. West Coast next week at the Los Angeles Golf Club, the majority of the world’s top players have been held away from Toronto to rest in preparation for the third major of the season.
Sam Burns, world number 12, was the best player in the FedEx Cup standings and he couldn’t avoid the ax. Rory McIlroy (13th) and Hatton (16th) competed in the weekend rounds.
Eight Canadians have participated in the last two rounds, which is the highest total since 2002.
Hadwin notably finished tied for 12th while Conners tied for 20th.
