After the first round of the 2023 Canadian Open Nick Taylor was in danger of not making the cut then 3 days later he stood on the 18th Green 72ft away from history. Nick, along with those closest to him and others effected by this moment take us through those days leading up to that magical putt.
I remember finishing the round pretty disappointed I just needed a reset button that night at around 400 p.m. we talked on the phone he was really missing us we just had our daughter Harper 4 weeks prior I just kind of reminded him of what he’s capable of I said a good round’s coming it’s still hard to compute are you serious that in 72 hours he was going to do something special you have these moments where you remember where you were new Canadian open champion from sason it’s still with me every day Mike we has one of the Masters there’s something extra special about those moments this was definitely one of them yeah words don’t describe it what’s a good synonym for getting tackled the 2023 Canadian open hit hard I was on the n t block when we heard the roar at the time I didn’t know there was a tuni in the cop sh we’re in the car 20ish minutes from the course but there was other plans for me I was in the perfect mindset of I see this PT going in a Cinderella story and I actually told him if you make history I’m going to be pretty mad if we’re not there swing of the putter comes up with some speed now up the rock for the eagle for the wind to the C give it a try before these guys pop up that was really good it’s like 3 ft short this green tells a story how far is it it’s different depending where you’re looking from it’s a 72 ft I know sorry but if you have a good read it looks a lot longer than 72 ft the Right Touch and some luck it can all end the same this is the one I feel it one perfect take moment come on seriously after the first round of the 2023 Canadian open Nick Taylor wasn’t even dreaming of a perfect moment like that he was just trying to make the cut he was at the bottom it was going to take a lot for him to make the cut um but I knew that that was possible we knew we uh needed probably a good day and some help from other guys what Dave is alluding to is players dropping in the standings but here’s some other [Music] guys my name is Matt St Thomas Thomas burn Alex Gambino we were tasked with course setup the group of us just decided to create luck for Canadians who doesn’t need a little bit of luck on their side at the end of the day and as we were changing the holes you would give the cup a little bit of a shake make sure it was still in there and then put it back in its new spot wait wait wait a minute this isn’t one of those lucky Looney stories is it oh no no definitely not definitely not so we had these two tunies right we tried to keep it very secretive um but the place tunies in h 9 and 18 shh that’s awesome I had not a whole lot to lose that Friday marle did a great job trying to keep me loose he turned the corner from Thursday and had a lot of good momentum going he was uh grinding pretty hard on Fridays um trying to stay inside the cut line he was so far behind after Thursday’s round it looked like he wouldn’t make the cut obviously was able to do that [Music] being in Canada and having the home crowd behind us they created a unbelievable atmosphere I love it Canadian golf has been in such a good place for the last you know 3 five years plus I mean gives you Goosebumps it really does but we’re talking Canadian open no Canadians won and in 69 years it was 1954 and there I was sitting the edge of a car listening to the playby playay I’m listening to my father he’s going to win the Canadian open walked up to it and sank it for a 72o total of 280 when he made the final part uh everyone was just celebrating cheering and clapping and uh basically became a bit of a party the cheers are terrific for the first Canadian 40 years to win the Canadian open as the years went on I was thinking when was another Canadian going to win the Canadian open this Saturday was was amazing hottest man in the golf course Nick Taylor for birdie raino he played unreal and he just made it look easy once I got into that mode to really keep the pedal down to kind of get myself back into attenion Nick Taylor solo lead seeing that Nick was in contention was uh was pretty cool I remember being at my sister’s house I just thought man this is building in something special tied the course record that day it’s a pelaton chasing the top of the leaderboard here at the Canadian open but nobody pedal harder and faster to get there than Nick Taylor pelaton great line Jimmy how did Taylor play his way right back into this tournament he got a talking to from his wife is really what happened it was a reminder that I’m right [Music] the story is building here in Canada it’s interesting knowing that I was not there when my father won the Canadian open 1954 I made a habit to be at the Canadian open just in case a Canadian W but I chose not to be here because I didn’t think it was going to [Music] happen we’re both slightly superstitious I said do you want us to head out there he’s like you know what I’d probably be worrying about you two taking your first flight together too much so it’s probably best you stay home and I actually told them if you make history I’m going to be pretty mad if we’re not [Music] there before the final round we kind of discussed like let’s do something a little bit different for Sunday I had no idea that he was using a tuni for the ball marker he’s marked his ball with a Canadian $2 coin tuni we came together and kind of figured out a way that we could get a tuni right in the middle the Canadian trying to win the national open here at the RBC Canadian [Music] open kind of remember thinking that that day was going to be different I tried to keep busy throughout the day you tried not to think about the end you’re just trying to you know keep him in the moment how about Nick Taylor everyone’s been talking about how tough the first six holes are Nick gets off to this incredible start not for Nick Taylor today he played those in three under I just thought man he’s going to do this thing I need to get the golf course this was at seven this was wonderful little shot led to birdie about halfway there my uh middle middle son tells me the stomach is not feeling great and I thought oh great to nine and Nick Taylor The Leader by one stop the car and my oldest son starts throwing up as well he has an eagle look coming up at the 12 man this is it I’m like this is what’s going to hold me back from getting to the golf course right here trying to make history modern day history with the buzz building around us he was kind of like a ninja assassin coming down the stretch it’s a great putt for the Canadian he’s back on top with one to play and produced a war that could be hurt all the way to British Columbia oh boy I was tied on the last toll so I knew birdie would get me one ahead you know how much he wanted it I saw it in his eyes here it comes he’s done it Birdie’s 17 and 18 what a finish what he’s done these last three days wow he can play well and and somebody else can play better Tommy Fleetwood heads to the last and he can win it with a birdie at the 72nd there was a roller coaster emotions of thinking that I almost wanted Tommy standing on the 18th T birdie to win I wasn’t really likeing my chances here we go 46 ft beautiful Pace this suspense is going to last for a while not even security could contain the chaos as the crowd ran to get a front row seat none ran faster than the current crop of elite Canadian golf okay uh guys where’s McKenzie Hughes this is all happening I’m cleaning up up the car so each player their first PGA Tour playoff I’ve got the golf on my phone very mobile device I had a very close eye on it but it was one hand with the puke and the wiping and one hand on the phone at all times not the way I pictured watching the Finish putt after putt they just were kind of neck and neck it was really hard I got more and more nervous cuz it felt like somebody’s going to end up missing a shot sort of giving it away sent him back to 18t for the fourth playoff ho this is so good and that’s going to be in a neighborhood of some 70 ft maybe yeah no give me too but I saw that look I knew that he was going to do something special from 72 ft I’m not expecting to make that it’s not a putt that we practice a whole lot I was thinking two putt great let’s move on it was obviously a calculated guess just see the line and hit it swing of the putter could tell that the the speed looked pretty good comes up with some speed now up the right my eyes were the size of Pizza trays the crowd started to get louder and louder you have the entire country on your back at this point you know I pretty much blocked out the Green Jacket is going north of the border the Masters win in 2003 was the last Kodak moment for Canadian golf Mike wear changed the game for Canadians but I mean come on after 69e weight and it comes up with some speed this moment was magical for the eagle for the wi to the cup to the oh my goodness glorious and [Applause] free I think I just immediately sobbed that is not to be believed I didn’t even know I toss the putter really we’re storming the 18th green now I came in hot around the corner secur security guard came in hot from the other side as well man I had the best seat in the house for the tackle they just tackled Adam hadwin by the way who was trying to approach his friend there was a Hollywood writer making a script it wouldn’t have been that good we heard the Roar and then we heard over the radio Nick Taylor just made a 72 footer he just won the RBC Canadian open and the weight was over it’s just for my family at home I point I Nick it’s amazing to think that a guy that I grew up with is that guy pretty special moment for golf in Canada and golf in general this is the most incredible feeling ever this win is likely to go down as one of those where were you wi moments like Sydney Crosby golden gold and I’m just wondering how it makes you feel to know people are going to be having that conversation about something you did to think that I’m the person that people are thinking about is kind of breathtaking everything came together at that moment to create something that will live on forever are you serious oh my goodness glorious and free [Applause]
