Nick Taylor hammered home an eagle putt from 72 1/2 feet on the fourth playoff hole to beat Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and become the first Canadian winner of the RBC Canadian Open in 69 years on Sunday in Toronto.
Fans stormed the 18th green at Oakdale Golf & Country Club to celebrate the first player from Canada to win the country’s national open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
Playing the par-5 18th hole for the third time of the playoff, Fleetwood hit a pitch shot to get on the green in three, while Taylor had reached the green in two shots and had a long uphill putt from a lower tier of the green complex.
Taylor’s putt tracked straight towards the center of the cup, hit the flagstick and dropped in. Taylor flipped his putter in the air and embraced his caddy before fans made their way down from the grandstand. Per the CBS broadcast, it was the longest made putt of Taylor’s career.
The 35-year-old from Abbotsford, British Columbia, led the tournament for a good portion of the fourth round, briefly slipped behind and then birdied the 17th and 18th holes to post a 6-under 66 and set the clubhouse lead at 17- below 271.
Fleetwood shot a 67 to join him there, one shot better than Englishmen Tyrrell Hatton and Aaron Rai and Taiwan’s CT Pan.
Taylor stepped to the 18th tee needing a par to tie the group at 16 under and a birdie or better for the outright lead. He went over the green in two and pitched to 11 1/2 feet for a birdie attempt.
Taylor’s putt had a massive right-to-left curl and died right at the hole. He pumped his fist and took several steps backwards in celebration as the Canadian fan base went wild in celebrating their countryman.
A short time later, Fleetwood joined the tie at 16 under with a birdie at No. 16, and his approach at the par-4 17th spun back to a mere 3 feet to set up a birdie to tie Taylor.
Fleetwood’s drive at No. 18 missed the fairway right, and his attempt to lay up also turned right and settled in the right rough again. He managed to get on the green with his third shot and two-putted for par to force the playoff.
Hatton fired a 64 and Rai carded a 67 to get to 16 under. Pan, who held a two-shot lead after 54 holes, could have joined the playoff by eagle the 72nd hole but had to settle for a birdie and a round of 70.
Eric Cole made nine birdies – including each of his last four holes – to match the round of the week with a 9-under 63 and tie Mark Hubbard (70 on Sunday) for sixth at 14 under. Justin Rose of England (71) finished alone in eighth at 13 under.
Two-time defending champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, the highest-ranked player in the field, entered the day two off the pace but flubbed his way to consecutive bogeys at the par-4 fifth and sixth holes. He didn’t notch his first birdie until the par-5 12th and shot a 72 to finish at 12 under, tied for ninth with Brandon Wu (69) and Andrew Novak (72).
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