Tommy Fleetwood decided to focus on the positives after losing out on what would have been his first PGA Tour title in dramatic circumstances on Sunday.
Fleetwood and Nick Taylor, who was playing in front of a rowdy home crowd at the Canadian Open, were on the fourth playoff hole when the title was decided. Taylor made a 72ft eagle putt to win the tournament, then tossed his putter into the air and jumped into the arms of caddy Dave Markle. He became the first Canadian in 69 years to win the tournament. It was also the longest successful putt of Taylor’s PGA Tour career.
“Thank you Canada for an amazing atmosphere,” Fleetwood wrote on Twitter after the tournament. “Congratulations [to Taylor], what an unbelievable 3 days of golf you’ve just played and what a moment for you and your country! We’ll start again tomorrow. See you at work.”
Fleetwood told reporters on Sunday that his performance had encouraged him in the run-up to the US Open, which starts on Thursday.
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“I played great today, even though I missed some chances, if you like, on those playoff holes,” Fleetwood, who has won six times on the European tour, said. “Yeah, it was close. I just have to take the positives from it and start practicing tomorrow. I got a major [starting on Thursday]. So can’t dwell on it too much.”
Taylor admitted he couldn’t remember sinking the putt.
“I blacked out when that ball went in with Dave. So I’m curious to watch that, what we did,” Taylor said.
The last player from Canada to win the Canadian Open was Pat Fletcher in 1954 at Point Gray in Vancouver. Taylor was loudly cheered by Canadian fans during the playoff.
“It was the most incredible atmosphere I’ve ever been a part of and it’s not even close. I think even walking the first tee today, walking to the first green, there’s ovations on every single tee and green,” Taylor said. “When Tommy would miss and they would cheer, I kind of felt bad for him. But I knew just how pumped they were and they were trying to put every ounce of energy into it to help me pull it through.”
Fleetwood needed a birdie on the reachable par five to win in regulation, but he missed his tee shot right, laid up into an awkward lie in the right rough and two-putted for par to force the playoff in rainy conditions.
The players traded birdies on their first time playing No 18 in the playoff. They parred 18 and the par-three ninth before heading back to 18 for what proved to be the deciding hole.
Taylor’s tee shot found a divot in the fairway, but he hit his second shot 221 yards to the front of the green, while Fleetwood laid up after his drive found a fairway bunker. Fleetwood hit his third shot to 12ft, but didn’t need to putt after Taylor’s eagle putt hit the flagstick and dropped