canadian on pga tour

Who’s Who in Canadian Golf on the PGA Tour

It’s never easy to keep track of the many Canadian players on tours around the world. So you’re forgiven if you need a refresh on what your fellow Canadians have been up to on the professional tours. From young guys who are just making their mark, to veteran pros who’ve already left theirs, here’s a rundown on who’s doing what where.

  The Up and Comers

They’re not on the big stage just yet, but these young players are showing signs of promise on their respective tours.

*OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking)

Taylor Pendrith OWGR: 134

The big bomber from Richmond Hill, Ontario just completed his most successful professional season. The Korn Ferry Tour member notched four second-place finishes along with 11 top-25s to finish the year second on the money list. Typically, the top 25 money earners on the Korn Ferry Tour receive PGA Tour cards for the following season, but the pandemic has disallowed that from happening. Instead, the Korn Ferry Tour will extend the money list through to next year as a result of cancelled events. Essentially, two seasons will now become one. The good news for Pendrith is that he’s almost certainly a lock to gain his PGA Tour card once the mega-season finishes, thanks to his career-best season. 2020 also saw him make his major debut at the U.S. Open, where he finished an impressive T23. Definitely take note of this player, he’s a proven winner and it won’t be long before he’s making full-time PGA Tour starts.

Roger Sloan OWGR: 342

Sloan first earned PGA Tour status in 2015 after a successful Korn Ferry season that got him promoted to the big stage. Prior to that he spent time on the Mackenzie Tour working his way through the ranks. For the past six seasons he’s bounced back and forth between the Korn Ferry and PGA tours, once getting inside the top 125 in the FedExCup in 2019. He’s playing on a conditional status for the 2020-2021 season after making just seven of 20 cuts in 2020 and finishing the year at 169 th on the points list. However, the Calgarian is faring better in the new wrap-around season, recording two top 25 finishes in just six events.

  Aaron Cockerill OWGR: 373

28-year-old Aaron Cockerill is currently overseas earning his keep on the European Tour, gaining full status last year through qualifying school. The undisputed best golfer from the hamlet of Teulon, Manitoba, Cockerill is finding his footing in Europe, finishing a career-best T4 at the Joburg Open. He’s currently ranked 118 th in the Race to Dubai standings, the European Tour equivalent of the FedExCup. Prior to hopping overseas, Cockerill was on the Mackenzie Tour for a few seasons before playing a year on the Challenge Tour, eventually earning full European Tour status. Besides the fact he’s Canadian, Cockerill is especially easy to root for—I mean, who doesn’t want to cheer for a guy whose fiancée doubles as his caddy?

Michael Gligic OWGR: 456

Having earned a spot on the PGA Tour in 2020 after a successful 2019 season on the Korn Ferry Tour, in which he won the Panama Championship, Gligic is starting his season with conditional status after failing to stay inside the FedExCup’s top 125. In the 2019-2020 season, he played in 18 events, making eight cuts and recording just two top-25 finishes. However, the Burlington-native is off to a fast start to the new year, with four made cuts in six events and two top-25 finishes, including a T-11 at the Bermuda Championship. As a result of his conditional status, it will be important for him to make the most of his PGA Tour starts to retain membership for this season.

Perennial Pros

Seasoned professionals with PGA Tour victories, these top Canadians continue to prove themselves on the game’s ultimate tour.

Mackenzie Hughes OWGR: 50

Mackenzie Hughes, a former Mackenzie Tour standout, (and no, not so much they named it after him), is coming off his most successful year on Tour, finishing 26 th in the FedExCup standings and being the sole Canadian to advance to the Tour Championship. His 2020 season was maintained early after a solo second finish at the Honda Classic in March—the last tournament completed before the pandemic suspended the schedule. Hughes’ solid play continued after the three-month break, docking three top-10 finishes to round out his season. As a benefit of making it to the Tour Championships, Hughes will play in all four majors in 2021, the WGC-Mexico Championship, as well as numerous invitational events—a career-advancing bonus that should set him up for continued success.

Corey Conners OWGR: 59

Corey Conners has played three full seasons on the PGA Tour continues to show a ton of promise and is proving how good he really is. He made history at the Masters in 2020 shooting a 7-under-par 65 in his second round, the lowest score ever recorded by a Canadian at Augusta National. Conners finished in a tie for 10th, the best finish he’s ever had in any major. Following his impressive showing at the Masters, he closed out 2020 finishing 10th at the RSM Classic, then tied for 17th at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. 2021 could be a big year for Conners as he builds off this impressive stretch of results.

Adam Hadwin OWGR: 80

The most seasoned Canadian on Tour, Hadwin enters his seventh season after a strong 2020 showing. The pride of Moose Jaw, although residing in Abbotsford B.C., Hadwin made an impressive 15 of 17 cuts last season, including three-top 10s and a second-place finish at the Safeway Open, his first event of 2020. The 33-year-old notched his sole victory at the Valspar Championship in 2017, the same year he entered the 59 Club with a blistering -13 under par performance. With two Presidents Cup teams on his resumé, most recently in 2019, Hadwin continues to be a frequent, yet unassuming presence on leaderboards.

Nick Taylor OWGR: 126

Taylor gave an impressive wire-to-wire performance at the AT&T invitational in January 2020 to become the most recent Canadian to win a tournament. In doing so, Taylor solidifying himself as a two-time PGA Tour winner, becoming the sixth Canadian to do so. The win was a breakthrough for the Abbotsford, British Columbia resident, earning him a spot in The Masters for the first time, where he finished a respectable T29. Now in his seventh season on tour and aged 32, Taylor is arguably entering the prime of his career, hoping to capitalize on his two-year exemption he’s received after his early win.

Steady Vets

  Names you know, but maybe haven’t seen on the telecast as of late, Weir and Hearn continue to hone their games as they enter the next chapters of their careers.

  Mike Weir OWGR: 835

The 2003 Masters champ and eight-time PGA Tour winner is experiencing somewhat of a career renaissance. Weir turned 50 in 2020, making him sufficiently ripened to tee it up on the Champions Tour, where he’s recaptured some of his vintage form. He made ten of out ten cuts and finished with three top 10s, capped off with a solo-second at the Dominion Energy Classic to finish the year at 26 th on the Champions Tour money list. The lefty from Brights Grove, Ontario also played solidly at the Masters, making the cut for the first time since 2014. The last several years of Weir’s career have been plagued by injury, but it appears he is healthy and ready to re-establish himself as a week-in, week-out presence. Needless to say, it’s just downright good to have Mike Weir playing golf again on a regular basis.

David Hearn OWGR: 463

Once a mainstay on tour who seemed primed to capture his first victory, Hearn’s game has tapered the last couple years. After finishing top-25 in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in 2019 to gain PGA Tour exemption status for the following year, Hearn made eight of 19 cuts and finished 160 th in the FedExCup Playoffs. However, his play has been steadier as of late. With the 2020-2021 season freshly underway, Hearn’s made two top-25s this season. He will need to continue to play solidly to stay inside the top 125 in FedExCup points, which may prove difficult with limited starts. If unable, Hearn will once again need to play the Korn Ferry finals to regain his exempt status. At 41-years-old, the seasoned vet will look to build on what has already been a highly impressive professional career.

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Nick Taylor sinks 72-foot putt to win Canadian Open, countrymate Hadwin tackled in celebration

Canadian professional golfer Adam Hadwin, left, is stopped by a security guard while he tries to celebrates with Nick Taylor, of Canada, after Taylor won the Canadian Open golf tournament in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, celebrates after winning the Canadian Open golf tournament in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, second from left, of Canada, reacts after winning the Canadian Open golf tournament on the fourth playoff hole against Tommy Fleetwood, of the United Kingdom, in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, center, of Canada, holds the trophy after winning the Canadian Open golf tournament on the fourth playoff hole against Tommy Fleetwood, of the United Kingdom in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, holds the trophy after winning the Canadian Open golf tournament on the fourth playoff hole against Tommy Fleetwood, of the United Kingdom, in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, kisses the trophy after winning the Canadian Open golf tournament on the fourth playoff hole against Tommy Fleetwood, of the United Kingdom, in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, reacts after winning the Canadian Open golf tournament on the fourth playoff hole against Tommy Fleetwood, of the United Kingdom, in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, plays a shot from the fairway on the 18th hole during the final round of the Canadian Open golf tournament in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, reacts after sinking a putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the Canadian Open golf tournament in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, reacts after sinking a putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the Canadian Open golf tournament in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press via AP)

Tommy Fleetwood, of Southport, U.K., reacts after making his putt on the 1st playoff hole during final round golf action at the Canadian Open championship in Toronto on Sunday, June 11, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press via AP)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits out of a bunker on the eighth hole during the final round of the Canadian Open golf tournament in Toronto, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

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TORONTO (AP) — Nick Taylor tossed his putter into the air and jumped into the arms of caddie Dave Markle after he made a 72-foot eagle putt to become the first Canadian in 69 years to win his national open, and he doesn’t remember any of it.

“I blacked out when that ball went in with Dave. So I’m curious to watch that, what we did,” Taylor said.

Few who witnessed it will ever forget.

Taylor delivered a signature moment in Canadian sports when his uphill, left-to-right-breaking putt — the longest made putt of his PGA Tour career — hit the flagstick and dropped on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood for the RBC Canadian Open title.

“It’s a tournament that we’ve circled on our calendar since probably junior golf,” Taylor said. “To kind of break that curse, if you want to call it, is — I’m pretty speechless. I don’t think it’s going to sink in for quite some time what happened today.”

Fellow Canadian players Mike Weir, Corey Conners and Adam Hadwin were among those who ran onto the green to congratulate him. Hadwin, Taylor’s close friend, was tackled by a security guard while spraying champagne from a bottle.

The last player from Canada to win the Canadian Open was Pat Fletcher in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver. Fletcher was born in England; Carl Keffer had been the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914. Weir lost a playoff to Vijay Singh in 2004.

“I’ve looked up to Mike Weir and watched him play golf for so long, and for him to be there was special,” Taylor said.

With galleries cheering his every move and even serenading him with “O Canada” on one tee box, Taylor curled in an 11-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to finish at 17-under 271 at Oakdale, walking backwards with his fist raised as the ball dropped into the cup. He shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday.

“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 5 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 both parred 18 and the par-3 ninth before heading back to 18.

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 12 feet, but didn’t need to putt after Taylor’s eagle putt hit the flagstick and dropped.

Taylor expected Fleetwood to make his putt and focused on getting his lengthy try to the hole.

“The speed is all I was thinking about,” Taylor said. “For that to drop is — it was a huge surprise but an amazing one.”

Fans swarmed toward the green, and Hadwin — who like Taylor grew up in Abbotsford, British Columbia — got leveled amid the chaos. He said had so much adrenaline that the tackle didn’t faze him.

“It’s incredible. I mean, what do you say to one of the greatest moments of Canadian golf history?” Hadwin said. “I think we all predicted that this was going to happen.

“I’m not sure that any one of us predicted a 72-foot eagle putt ... to get it done, but what a way to go.”

The 35-year-old Taylor, who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, won for the third time on the PGA Tour. He shot 75 in Thursday’s opening round but rallied with a 67 on Friday to make the cut, then shot 63 on Saturday to begin the final round three shots behind leader C.T. Pan.

“I was on the 7th hole, I remember, the first day, my 16th hole, with 10 feet for par. And made that. And birdied 8 and parred the last to kind of like somewhat be in the cut sight,” Taylor said. “So to be standing there and then sitting here today is pretty remarkable, to be honest.”

Taylor is the fourth Canadian to win on tour this season, joining Conners, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson.

Two-time defending champion Rory McIlroy, two shots back of Pan entering the final round, closed with a 72 and finished in a tie for ninth, five shots back.

Fleetwood, a two-time Ryder Cup player from England and a six-time winner on the European tour, remains winless on the PGA Tour.

“I played great today, even though I missed some chances, if you like, on those playoff holes,” Fleetwood said. “Yeah, it was close. I just have to take the positives from it and start practicing tomorrow. I got a major next week. So can’t dwell on it too much.”

Tyrrell Hatton (64), Aaron Rai (69) and Pan (70) finished one shot out of the playoff.

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Wells Fargo Championship

Quail Hollow Club

RBC Canadian Open

Nick Taylor can't believe he just became a national hero, but he'll take it

Minas Panagiotakis

A week that started with tumult and uncertainty ended with jubilation and relief as Nick Taylor ended one of the longest droughts in golf, sending an entire golf nation into a frenzy. The 35-year-old held off an assortment of pursuers in regulation Sunday, then topped Tommy Fleetwood on the fourth hole of a playoff by draining a 72-foot putt for eagle at Oakdale Golf & Country Club, becoming the first Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open in 69 years.

It was the longest putt Taylor has made in his nine-year PGA Tour career , creating one of the most memorable moments in Canadian sports history.

“For that to go in is unbelievable,” an emotional Taylor said immediately after, with the home gallery still in hysterics. “I don’t know what to say.”

On Tuesday, news unexpectedly broke that the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund had announced intentions to create a new for-profit venture , a surprising turn of events after tour commissioner Jay Monahan had vowed for more than a year that the tour wouldn’t do business with the group that had pilfered some of its biggest names to help create the LIV Golf League.

On Sunday, Taylor was holding the RBC Canadian Open hardware just outside Toronto, after capturing his third tour title, with the adoring fans serenading the new champion. Canadian PGA Tour pros Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir waited anxiously with the masses, hanging on every moment during the four playoff holes. They were not going to miss history.

“This is for all the guys who are here, this is for my family at home,” Taylor said. “This is the most incredible feeling ever.”

The drama capped a crazy four days for the British Columbia native. Taylor shot 75 on Thursday and was tied for 120th place. Rounds of 67-63 got him into contention on Sunday, where he actually held a three-shot lead for a moment in the middle of the round. But Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Aaron Rai and C.T. Pan, among others began making birdies, and it was clear that Taylor was not going to run away with his national open.

After a bogey on the 16th hole, Taylor birdied the last two holes to top Hatton by one for the clubhouse lead at 17 under, making a 12-footer on the final hole. But Fleetwood, a European Ryder Cup stalwart searching for his first PGA Tour victory in 119 starts, stormed back and birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to tie Taylor. Fleetwood played a nervy 18th hole in regulation and made par, sending the tournament into a playoff.

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Of course, the playoff turned downright nutty. It started raining and continued the entire time.

Both men were short right of the green in two shots on 18 the first time but both got up and down for birdie, Taylor with a chip shot to five feet and Fleetwood by draining a 20-footer. The second time both men, again playing the 18th hole, made par after nervy approach shots. Then they marched to the par-3 ninth hole and hit tee shots to similar distances, around 15 feet, but both two putted for par.

Finally, on the fourth playoff hole, back on the par-5 18th, Fleetwood faced 12 feet for birdie and Taylor was 72 feet away for eagle, having reached the green in two. With the whole country holding its collective breaths, Taylor made the putt for eagle, sending the adoring gallery, Taylor and his caddie Dave Markle, into a celebration that’ll likely last well into the Canadian night.

“It’s huge for our game,” Weir said.

With victory on Sunday, Taylor is the first Canadian to win the national Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

Pat Fletcher was the last Canadian to win the Canadian Open, doing so in 1954. Since records began being kept in earnest in 1983, only one player has been T-120 or worse in a PGA Tour event after the first round and gone on to win—Ian Poulter at the 2018 Houston Open. He opened with 73 then shot 64-65-67 and topped Beau Hossler in a playoff.

"It was the most incredible atmosphere I've ever been a part of and it's not even close," Taylor said. "I think even walking the first tee today, walking to the first green, there's ovations on every single tee and green. 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.

"I blacked out when that ball went [on the fourth playoff hole] with Dave. So I'm curious to watch what we did. I don't even remember what we did. But that was an incredible moment."

Historical significance aside, the victory was just another piece of a golf résumé that continues to impress. Taylor won both the Canadian Junior (2006) and Canadian Amateur (2007) in consecutive years as a youth and was a standout in college at the University of Washington, being named Player of the Year twice in what was then called the Pac-10 Conference. He was a three-time All-American and won the Ben Hogan Award in 2010 as college golf's best player.

As a professional, the Canadian Open win is his third on tour, following the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014 and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2020. He's the fourth Canadian to win on the PGA Tour this year, following Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Svensson and Conners and he's up to a career-high 44th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He had missed his previous two cuts.

For Fleetwood, he’ll continue searching for that first tour title after yet another near miss. After opening with consecutive rounds of 70, a third-round 64 vaulted the Englishman directly into contention. The final-round 67 was good enough to get into the playoff this time, but he may have a couple sleepless nights thinking about how lackluster he played the 18th hole in regulation.

All Tommy Fleetwood could do was smile after Nick Taylor's dramatic putt dropped, leaving the Englishman still in search of his first career PGA Tour title.

Vaughn Ridley

“Nice moment for Nick and the fans here,” said Fleetwood, with Hatton, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry watching the playoff to show support. “It’s great to be a part of that Sunday and that playoff. I had my chances, really. It wasn’t to be this time.”

Hatton birdied the last four holes to shoot an eight-under 64, which included a double bogey on the eighth hole. He was a shot out of the playoff. Rai (67) and Pan (70) were tied for third place with Hatton. Eric Cole made nine birdies to shoot 63 and jumped 18 positions on the leaderboard to tie for sixth place with Mark Hubbard.

It was another Sunday disappointment for Rory McIlroy. The World No. 3 entered the final round two shots off the lead and with a chance to win for the second consecutive week. Last week at the Memorial Tournament he shot a final-round 75 to tumble from contention. In Canada, he made consecutive bogeys on Nos. 5 and 6 to quickly drop out of contention again and ultimately shot 72 to tie for ninth place.

McIlroy was the two-time defending champion in Canada and a victory by him would've been significant for the game heading into the U.S. Open next week at Los Angeles Country Club. But it's difficult to be disappointed with the way this prestigious tournament ended. A golf-crazed nation was rewarded with the victory that it had so desperately wanted for seven decades.

And Nick Taylor will never have to buy a beer in his beloved Canada ever again.

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Canadian pair on top of PGA Americas Tour after back-to-back wins in Latin America

Back-to-back wins by Canadians have added a bit of maple flavour to the top of the PGA Tour Americas points list.

Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald shot a 1-under 71 to finish 17-under overall for a two-stroke victory at the Diners Club Peru Open on Sunday and rocket up to third on the Fortinet Cup standings. He’s 83 points back of No. 1 Matt Anderson of Hamilton, who won the 69th ECP Brazil Open on April 21.

“When you get a win, and you get 500 points, it’s a lot,” Macdonald told The Canadian Press. “You separate yourself from the rest of the guys.

“If you get two wins, that’s even better, you’re really going to separate yourself.”

Separating oneself from the pack is important with two events left in the Latin America swing of the Americas Tour. The two golfers at the top of the points list earn berths on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour, a step up from the Americas circuit.

“I don’t think I really need to do too much differently,” said Macdonald, who did not miss a cut on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica last season, which has since merged with PGA Tour Canada. “I just need to continue to put in the work on the golf course, on the range, just keep on trying to get better.”

Anderson helped keep himself atop the Americas standings when he tied for 18th at the Los Inkas Golf Club last week.

“Didn’t play my best, but I kind of hung in there and hit some awesome shots coming down the stretch, which was great,” Anderson told reporters after Sunday’s final round in Lima, Peru. “I hit an awesome shot on 16 and I even gave myself a look on 17, which is a super tough par 3.”

There are seven Canadian players in the top 60 of the Fortinet Cup standings to secure exempt status for the North American swing of the circuit. Joey Savoie (18th) of La Prairie, Que., Victoria’s Lawren Rowe (35th), Thomas Giroux (39th) of Georgetown, Ont., Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota (47th) and Jimmy Jones (50th), the son of Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Dawn Coe-Jones, also above that exemption line.

All of them will be back in action this week at the KIA Open at Quito Tenis y Golf Club in Ecuador.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, sitting 57th in the FedEx Cup standings heading into this week’s event. He shared a heartfelt memorial to former caddy Bill Bath on social media on Tuesday. Bath, from Oshawa, Ont., had caddied for Hughes on the Mackenzie Tour and then again at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open. Hughes will be joined at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney Texas, on Thursday by Taylor Pendrith (90th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Ben Silverman (109th) of Thornhill, Ont., and Rogers Sloan (193rd) of Merritt, B.C.

Champions Tour

Calgary’s Stephen Ames will be back in action at the Insperity Invitational. He’s atop the Schwab Cup standings after winning the Mitsubishi Electric Classic last week. He will be joined by No. 49 Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., at The Woodlands Country Club in The Woodlands, Texas.

DP World Tour

Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is the lone Canadian in the field at this week’s Volvo China Open. He’s 18th on the Race to Dubai Rankings heading into play at Hidden Grace Golf Club in Shenzhen, China.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp leads the Canadian contingent into the Casino del Sol Golf Classic. Sharp will be joined at Sewailo Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz., by Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Vancouver’s Tiffany Kohn and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont. Sharp is ranked 30th on the second-tier tour’s Race for the Card money list, while the other three Canadians are not yet ranked.

University of Michigan women’s golf senior Monet Chun, from Richmond Hill, Ont., was named the Big Ten conference’s Golfer of the Year on Tuesday, as well as a member All-Big Ten first team. Chun, who was named the 2024 Mary Fossum Award recipient on April 25, earned her second first-team honour after her selection in 2021 while winning the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year award.

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B.C. golfer Nick Taylor 1st Canadian to win RBC Canadian Open since 1954, prevailing in playoff

35-year-old from abbotsford beats tommy fleetwood with 72-foot eagle putt.

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Canadians waited 69 years for this moment. So what's another four holes?

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., won the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday at Toronto's Oakdale Golf and Country Club, becoming the first Canadian man to win at home since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

"To kind of break that curse, if [that's] you want to call — I'm pretty speechless. I don't think it's going to sink in for quite some time what happened today," Taylor said.

What happened was 22 holes of golf filled with highs and lows — and a career-defining putt at the end of it all.

WATCH | Taylor makes 72-foot eagle putt to win RBC Canadian Open:

Nick Taylor makes 72-foot eagle putt to win RBC Canadian Open

Tied at 17-under, Taylor, 35, duelled with England's Tommy Fleetwood over four playoff holes — they matched each other with birdies and pars playing the 18th hole twice before each making a par on the ninth.

And so off they went back to the 18th. Fleetwood's tee shot landed in a bunker, but Taylor's settled on the first cut.

It allowed the Canadian to attack the green, and he did, leaving himself a long eagle putt. Fleetwood, meanwhile, laid up and was standing over a putt for birdie.

Taylor didn't let him hit it — he nailed his own putt from 72 feet, the longest of his career. The crowd around the 18th green leapt with joy.

"For that to drop was a huge surprise, but an amazing one," Taylor said.

Adam Hadwin, the Abbotsford, B.C., native who tied for 12th in the tournament, couldn't contain his excitement, rushing the green with a bottle of champagne in hand — only to be tackled by an unknowing security guard.

Following Nick Taylor’s winning putt, security tackled Adam Hadwin while he was trying to celebrate with Taylor, mistaking him for a fan. <a href="https://t.co/G2ZaQhEhIK">pic.twitter.com/G2ZaQhEhIK</a> &mdash; @TSN_Sports

Elsewhere, tears flew and cheers streamed to the Toronto skies, which had been sending down rain throughout most of the playoff.

Along with Hadwin, there was Canadian golf royalty: 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, who lost a playoff of his own at this tournament in 2004, was there, celebrating on the green.

"It means everything. I feel like we all support each other so much, for them to stick around. I think all of us said it this week, if us individually weren't the people to win, we really want another Canadian to do it and break this long drought."

Corey Conners, the 18-hole leader who struggled Sunday to wind up tied for 20th, was there to embrace Taylor as well.

"It's obviously a thrilling moment for Canadian golf," Conners told CBC Sports amid the celebration. "It's been far too long and I'm so thrilled for Nick. He's such a great guy and been playing great, so fun to see."

“This is the most incredible feeling ever.”<br><br>An emotional <a href="https://twitter.com/ntaylorgolf59?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NTaylorGolf59</a> attempts to put into words what it means to win <a href="https://twitter.com/RBCCanadianOpen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RBCCanadianOpen</a>. <a href="https://t.co/ecOZGQ79s2">pic.twitter.com/ecOZGQ79s2</a> &mdash; @PGATOUR

The playoff took on the feel of an international competition. As the Canadian contingent followed Taylor, Fleetwood's countrymen Justin Rose and Tyrell Hatton were there to cheer on their man as he pursued a long-awaited first PGA Tour victory.

Fleetwood was greeted by applause as he left the green to sign his scorecard.

The crowd, meanwhile, was decidedly on Taylor's side — they booed Fleetwood's bad shots and politely clapped for his good ones.

"Nice moment for Nick and the fans here," Fleetwood said. "So it's great to be a part of that Sunday and that playoff. I had my chances, really. It wasn't to be this time."

WATCH | Nick Taylor wins Canadian Open, ending Canada's drought:

B.C. golfer Nick Taylor wins Canadian Open

'incredible moment'.

For Taylor, it was unbridled support, mixed in with nerves.

As Taylor kept his place atop the leaderboard through the final regulation holes, the crowds around him gradually swelled.

The Canadian was serenaded with the national anthem, as well as many chants with variations of his name.

And the release when that shocking putt rattled the cup was reminiscent of a hockey crowd watching its team win a playoff game in the fourth overtime.

"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," Taylor said.

• Canadian golfer flattened by security while spraying champagne in RBC Canadian Open celebration
• LEADERBOARD: RBC Canadian Open

Taylor becomes the fourth Canadian to win on the PGA Tour this season — the most ever. He joins Conners, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson in the winners' circle. The latter two both missed the cut at Oakdale.

"That is the most amazing thing I've ever seen!!!! Congrats @ntaylorgolf59! 20 years ago @mweirsy inspired a bunch of Canadians like Nick to pursue their dream, and now Nick has done the same. What a moment for Canadian golf," Hughes tweeted.

It's Taylor's third career PGA Tour victory. He also won the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2015 and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2020.

He'll now move on to the U.S. Open next week at Los Angeles Country Club. He'll also play in his second-ever Masters next April.

Hatton, England's Aaron Rai and Taiwan's C.T. Pan tied for third at 16-under, while American Eric Cole fired a 9-under 63 to match the course record set by Taylor on Saturday and finish tied for sixth.

WATCH | Taylor sets course record in 3rd round:

Canada's Taylor sets new Oakdale Golf and Country Club course record after 3rd round at Canadian Open

Playing alongside Fleetwood and Conners on Thursday, Taylor struggled to a 3-over 75, leaving an uphill climb just to make the cut.

"I was on the seventh hole, I remember, first day, my 16th hole, 10 feet for par and made that and birdied 8 and parred the last to somewhat be in the cut sight. So to be standing there and then sitting here today is pretty remarkable," Taylor said.

On Friday, he lowered his score by eight strokes — more than enough to make the cut, but still leaving him with an early tee time on Saturday.

Taylor credited a "talking-to" from wife Andie, who was at home for the turnaround.

WATCH | Taylor celebrated by golfers in hometown:

Canadian Open winner Nick Taylor celebrated by golfers in Abbotsford, B.C., hometown

"I was just kind of getting in my own way," he said. "I knew my game was there, but a little kick in the butt didn't hurt."

• ORAL HISTORY The story behind Tiger Woods' iconic shot at the 2000 Canadian Open

Taylor said he spoke to Andie and three-year-old son Charlie briefly after his victory.

"[Charlie] was probably shocked, like what the hell is going on? 'I made a big shot,' though, that's what he said."

WATCH | Inuit art once had a big role at the Canadian Open:

Inuit art once had a big role at the Canadian Open

The tournament began under a cloud of smoke — both literal and metaphorical. On Tuesday, the PGA Tour made a bombshell announcement that it was partnering with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which backs rival tour LIV Golf.

• B.C. golfer Nick Taylor sets course record, sits 3 shots off Canadian Open lead

At the same time, smoke from the wildfires in northern Ontario and Quebec weren't overly pervasive, especially the deeper the tournament went. There were no delays, and golfers said it didn't affect them.

By Sunday, Taylor made sure the full focus was on golf.

During his third round, playing partner Greyson Sigg, wowed at the crowds following Taylor, asked Taylor if he was famous in Canada.

Taylor said no.

Now, that's about to change. And he'll be in the history books forever.

WATCH | Surprise merger ends golf feud:

Golf feud ends as PGA Tour, LIV Golf announce surprise merger

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Taylor Pendrith earns beer bath from fellow Canadian PGA Tour pro at Byron Nelson

Pendrith won his first PGA Tour event and to celebrate, one of his best friends and fellow pro showered him with beer.

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Taylor Pendrith finally won his first PGA Tour event Sunday at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson after 74 professional starts.

As he came down the stretch, his former Kent State teammate and fellow Canadian, Mackenzie Hughes, carried around three beers , ensuring he did not miss the winning moment.

The PGA Tour social team followed him as he dipped under the ropes on the 18th green, waiting for his friend to finish.

Hughes asked CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis, “How close is Taylor?”

“It’s a tap-in,” she responded.

Cheers to the champ Former @KentStGolf teammate and fellow Canadian @MacHughesGolf was waiting greenside to deliver a beer shower to @TaylorPendrith . pic.twitter.com/qkTPkkkbfo — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 6, 2024

Pendrith’s wife approached Hughes, and he said, “I should have brought you one,” as they hugged in celebration.

The Canadian finally acknowledged the camera and said, “He’s going to get a little wet.”

Hughes snuck around trying to surprise Pendrith after he sank the winning putt. As Pendrith celebrated with his wife and son, Hughes snuck up behind him and gave him a Miller Lite shower down his back.

After he doused Pendrith, the camera cuts to his caddie, Hughes, and his wife raising their glasses to his win.

It was a big moment for Pendrith as he became the latest Canadian to win on the PGA Tour. The 32-year-old has not had the strongest year. Pendrith has also fought a shoulder injury , but the last two weeks saw his game trend in the right direction.

He and Hughes partnered at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last week and tied for 11th. The week before that, he finished T11 at the Corales Puntacana Championship.

Now, Pendrith will play in his first Signature Event of the year, the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hallow.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

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PGA TOUR Canada announces 2023 Qualifying Tournament information

PGA TOUR Canada announced it will hold six Qualifying Tournaments to determine Tour membership for the 2023 season – five in the U.S., beginning in late-February and concluding with a final qualifier in Canada a week before the Tour’s regular season begins.

PGA TOUR Canada completed its season in September, crowning the Fortinet Cup Points List leader – Edmonton’s Wil Bateman – as Player of the Year. Bateman became the inaugural winner of the Fortinet Cup after winning twice in 2022 and is now a fully exempt member of the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2023 season. Players hoping to follow in Bateman’s footsteps can begin by earning PGA TOUR Canada membership, with playing spots available at the six Qualifying Tournaments. 

“We are coming off a remarkably successful season, and we will continue to build on that momentum in 2023. The first steps are at our Qualifying Tournaments, where players can get on the path that will take them to their ultimate destination, which is the PGA TOUR,” said PGA TOUR Canada Executive Director Scott Pritchard. “Through the years, we’ve been fortunate that so many players are interested in pursuing their professional dreams by playing on PGA TOUR Canada. We anticipate there will be strong demand by players to come to our Tour, as players know about the quality of courses, the cities we visit and the caliber of competition PGA TOUR Canada offers.”

The qualifiers begin with two tournaments in Florida (Weston and Howey-in-the-Hills) on consecutive weeks in late-February, early March. The action starts February 21-24 at The Club at Weston Hills’ Tour Course, as it hosts a Qualifying Tournament for a second consecutive year. The Howey-in-the-Hills tournament is at historic Mission Inn Resort and Club, a long-time host of both PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica tournaments. It has hosted six previous PGA TOUR Canada qualifiers. The following week, the RTJ Golf Trail at Highland Oaks in Dothan, Alabama, is the site for a third consecutive year.

A month later, the qualifiers move west, with events at Wigwam Golf Club in the Phoenix suburb of Litchfield Park, Arizona (April 4-7) and at Soboba Springs Golf Course in San Jacinto, California (April 11-14).

Notable PGA TOUR members to emerge from these sites in recent years include Cameron Young (medalist at Dothan in 2020), Will Zalatoris (runner-up at Wigwam Golf Club in 2019), Alex Smalley (T3 at Howey-in-the-Hills in 2020), Hayden Buckley (T4 at Wigwam Golf Club in 2019), Carson Young (T7 at Howey-in-the-Hills in 2020) and Philip Knowles (T9 at Howey-in the-Hills in 2019).

Bateman finished T5 at the Wigwam Golf Club site in 2021, retained membership for 2022 via the points list and won the Fortinet Cup with his two-win season.

The final Qualifying Tournament is set for June 6-9 in Courtenay, British Columbia. Crowne Isle Resort and Golf Club has previously hosted seven Qualifying Tournaments. PGA TOUR Canada’s season begins the week after this Q-School.

Here is a look at the six tournaments that will all be 72-hole, Tuesday-to-Friday, no-cut events:

“This is a great lineup of tournaments that will test players’ skills and abilities. Those who emerge with Tour cards will have another strong PGA TOUR Canada schedule to play in 2023, with a chance to continue progressing in their professional careers,” Pritchard added.

Among player benefits available, a three-time winner on the Tour would earn automatic promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour. Additionally, the top five players on the 2023 Fortinet Cup Points List will receive 2024 Korn Ferry Tour membership, with the player finishing first earning fully exempt status. The top five players will also be exempt into the Final Stage of the 2023 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, competing for a PGA TOUR card, which will be awarded to top-five finishers and ties. Those in the sixth-through-25th Fortinet Cup positions are exempt into the Second Stage of the 2023 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In addition, the top 60 players on the final Fortinet Cup standings will retain their PGA TOUR Canada playing privileges for 2024.

PGA TOUR Canada will announce its complete regular season schedule in early 2023.

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The PGA of Canada is committed to providing a safe sport environment to our members, staff, and those we provide our services. One that is free of all forms of maltreatment. Through our Safe Sport Policy, we foster respect, fairness, inclusivity, and transparency.

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How 16-year-old blades brown is approaching his pga tour debut at myrtle beach classic, share this article.

Blades Brown has never been one to set small golf goals for himself.

The Brentwood Academy sophomore always said he wanted to play in a PGA Tour event before his 17th birthday. He’ll do that this week at 16 years old, competing in the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Brown, a three-time TSSAA boys golf individual state champion and the top-ranked golfer in the Class of 2026, will make his PGA Tour debut in South Carolina on a sponsor exemption.

The Myrtle Beach Classic is a new PGA Tour event being played alongside the Tour’s main tournament this week, the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“For this to be a reality is absurd,” Brown said. “But I’m just treating it like any tournament. It’s a PGA Tour event, yeah, and not many 16-year-olds can say (they’ve played in one.) But I’m just going into the event trusting my game and overall trying to have some fun as well.”

Notable names in the Myrtle Beach Classic include former Vanderbilt and Montgomery Bell Academy star Brandt Snedeker, a nine-time PGA Tour winner, plus Billy Horschel, Beau Hossler, Daniel Berger and Kevin Kisner.

Brown is ranked No. 4 in the AJGA rankings and No. 176 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He made national headlines in August when he broke Bobby Jones’ record as the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history, tying for first place in the tournament’s stroke play portion. Brown was eliminated in the match play portion in the Round of 32.

He joins pro golf’s recent trend of teenage phenoms playing PGA Tour sponsored events. England’s Kris Kim, 16, debuted at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson last week. Miles Russell, 15, tied for 20th at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic last month.

Brown and Russell talked before the tournament about what professional competition is like.

The course conditions at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club are windy, Brown said, but the soft greens might offer more scoring opportunities.

“I think a solid goal would be to make the cut. I think that would be really cool, to be able to compete on the weekend,” he said.

Brown isn’t nervous and neither is his dad.

“There’s no expectations on Blades,” said Parke Brown, who is feeling much improved after finishing chemotherapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia last summer. “His game is so solid. I don’t worry about him. I know he’ll do well. Just being here and competing is a victory.”

Who is Blades Brown? NIL deals, what to know about 16-year-old making PGA Tour debut this week

Brown, a sophomore at Brentwood Academy, hit a turning point in his career by breaking golf legend Jones’ record as the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur championship history.

Jones set the U.S. Amateur record at 18 years old. The mark had stood since 1920.

Brown shot an 8-under 64 to tie the Colorado Golf Club course record and finish as co-medalist. He finished higher than numerous college stars, including Caleb Surratt, the former Tennessee star who left college in February to join the LIV Tour.

Brown’s performance was the starting point for sponsor exemption into the Myrtle Beach Classic, as well as financial opportunities. He is being represented by Sportfive sports marketing agency and has NIL deals with Callaway and New Jersey-based Transcend Capital Advisors.

Transcend also has an NIL golf partnership with Virginia star Benjamin James, who is No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and previously had a deal with Surratt before he went pro.

“Luckily with golf, as soon as one door opens, 50 doors open,” Brown said. “I’m so thankful and blessed to be given these opportunities. I like to view this as not a challenge but an opportunity to display the talent God’s given me.”

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Rory McIlroy not returning to PGA Tour board after ‘old wounds’ reopened

• Decision set to cause consternation with sponsors and partners
• ‘It got pretty complicated and pretty messy,’ declared golfer

The internal politics of the PGA Tour have been placed into sharp focus after Rory McIlroy was astonishingly prevented from returning to a position of power within the organisation. The inability of McIlroy to take places on the PGA Tour policy board and as a director of PGA Tour Enterprises is certain to cause consternation among sponsors and partners, including the European Tour Group.

Webb Simpson planned to resign from both boards, with the former US Open champion offering specific instruction that he wanted McIlroy to take on the positions. The 35-year-old, who has been frustrated at the time being taken to unify golf, was happy to step forward.

This, however, triggered ructions on the all-powerful PGA Tour policy board. Members include Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth and there is no European representation. McIlroy has clashed previously with Cantlay and Spieth over golf’s future. After delay upon delay at holding a vote over McIlroy’s return – he resigned from the policy board last November, citing time constraints – Simpson will remain in place.

“It got pretty complicated and pretty messy,” said McIlroy. “I think it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before. There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason. I think the best course of action is, if there’s some people on there that aren’t comfortable with me coming back on, then I think Webb just stays on and sees out his term. I think he’s gotten to a place where he’s comfortable with doing that and I just sort of keep doing what I’m doing.

“I put my hand up to help and it was ... I wouldn’t say it was rejected, it was a complicated process to get through to put me back on there. So that’s all fine, no hard feelings and we’ll all move on.

“My fear was if Webb stepped off and it wasn’t me that was going in his place, what could potentially happen. I’m really happy that Webb has made that decision to stay on and serve out the rest of his term.”

Those familiar with the situation have told the Guardian that lesser and alternative posts were floated for McIlroy, which he was unwilling to accept. When speaking in public, it is likely policy board members will cite governance concerns relating to Simpson effectively giving his directorships to McIlroy. However, such a point would be undermined by the processes during which Woods and Spieth were placed on the board.

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McIlroy has been adamant golf requires a global schedule, as a means for traditional tours to work in tandem with the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV circuit. “I’m impatient because I think we’ve got this window of opportunity to get it done,” added the world No 2. “I sort of liken it to like when Northern Ireland went through the peace process in the ’90s and the Good Friday agreement. Neither side was happy. Catholics weren’t happy, Protestants weren’t happy, but it brought peace and then you just sort of learn to live with whatever has been negotiated, right? That was in 1998 and 25 years ahead, my generation doesn’t know any different.”

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Rogers becomes title partner of Canada’s PGA TOUR Champions tournament

Rogers tees off 2024 tournament with $1 million donation.

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CALGARY, ALBERTA, Canada – Rogers Communications announced Wednesday it is the title partner of Canada’s only PGA TOUR Champions tournament in Calgary, formerly the Shaw Charity Classic, and is kickstarting fundraising for the event’s charitable arm with a $1 million donation.

“This tournament has made a real impact for communities, families and children in Alberta,” said Terrie Tweddle, Chief Brand and Communications Officer for Rogers. “We are immensely proud to honour the legacy of the Shaw family with the Rogers Charity Classic and to continue supporting children’s charities across Alberta.”

The tournament reached a major milestone last year, raising over $100 million for Alberta charities since its inception. The fund, rebranded as Rogers Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink, supports thousands of youth annually in areas that include counseling, sports and family support. Now through the end of August 2024, donations pledged through Rogers Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink to participating charities are matched up to 50% through the program’s matching pool.

“We’re grateful to Rogers for its commitment to building on the tournament’s legacy and positively impacting communities in our province,” said Jim Riddell, Tournament Chairman, Rogers Charity Classic. “This family-friendly professional golf tournament is one of the most exciting highlights of summer in Calgary and more importantly is the difference it will make for the Alberta charities who support children and their families throughout the province.”

Tickets are now on sale for the Rogers Charity Classic that will run from Aug. 16 to 18, 2024. Rogers Charity Classic offers a variety of different packages for premier spectators and enhanced viewing and hosting experiences.

“Rogers Charity Classic is one of the premier events on the PGA TOUR Champions calendar and I always look forward to coming to Calgary each year to play in front of a Canadian crowd,” said Mike Weir, Canadian golf legend and Team Rogers athlete. “I am thrilled to continue being a part of this tournament alongside Rogers in supporting charities in Alberta.”

In 2023, Rogers completed its historic merger with Shaw and announced a new five-year sponsorship of the tournament. This partnership builds on Rogers’ commitment to growing the game in Canada and building strong communities in Alberta.