Nick Taylor is everywhere at the RBC Canadian Open.
Literally, the defending champion could be seen riding around Hamilton Golf and Country in a cart Wednesday, taking phone calls as she roamed the course for media and sponsor appearances.
But metaphorically, his silhouette has been incorporated into the Canadian Open’s logo as the letter “I”, and a photo of him embracing David Markle after winning the 2023 Men’s National Golf Championship is being used throughout the stadium.
“It’s one of those things where you go there and you see the flags and the posters and things like that, you probably don’t fully understand the scale of it,” said Taylor, the first Canadian to win the title. After 70 years.
“It’s so neat that the idea (for the logo) came up, and it’s really cool to see it come to fruition. It was really fun to see Dave and me’s big mural and our celebration and see how many of them were kind of ‘pinch me’ things.”
Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., won a historic four-hole playoff over England’s Tommy Fleetwood last year at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto. The win ended a 69-year drought for the Canadians at the national championship.
As long as there has been a wait for a Canadian to win a national title (Pat Fletcher last won in 1954), it has been even longer since a Canadian won back-to-back titles. Albert Murray (1913) and Karl Keffer (1914) were the last back-to-back homegrown champions.
Taylor’s title defense begins Thursday morning when he tees off in a group with Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont.
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McIlroy won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2022 at the Canadian Open, which was canceled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Pendris won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on May 4, putting the trio in the premium group for the tournament. made with
“I think I’ve been potentially ready for this all year,” said Taylor, who also won the WM Phoenix Open on Feb. 11. “There is going to be a lot of energy coming out of it.”
McIlroy played in the Canadian Open for the first time in 2019 and won the event held at Hamilton Golf and Country Club that year. However, the course has undergone significant changes over the past five years, with $8.5 million invested in rebuilding tees, bunkers and greens for all 27 holes.
The No. 4 golfer on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup rankings had fond memories of his 2019 victory.
“The place was buzzing. The Raptors were going to win the NBA Championship.” McIlroy said Wednesday after winning again at Toronto’s St. George Golf and Country Club. “I was moved by the passion the fans had, and it was a great atmosphere to play in.”
A modern-day record of 28 Canadians will be recorded in a field of 156 players in the only PGA Tour event north of the border. Taylor is the highest-ranked player on both the PGA Tour and the world rankings, but Pendrith is one spot below him in the FedEx Cup rankings.
“I think it’s a big deal for all Canadians participating in this tournament. “For us, it’s a major,” he said. “It means a lot to the players, the crowd and the country as it is the first time we have come home and played in front of our home fans.
“This is a massive event and it was incredibly moving to see Nick pull it off last year.”
Mackenzie Hughes, from nearby Dundas, Ontario, is ranked 46th in the FedEx Cup standings. He acknowledged that Taylor’s win last year eased the pressure on Canadians to win a national championship, but did not remove it.
“I came here with personal expectations and the desire to do well, so I don’t think it will put any more pressure on me, thinking Nick won,” he said. “I felt a lot of pressure to do well every week.
“So while we can’t answer the question of who will be the first to break the curse of Pat Fletcher and who will be the next Canadian to win a championship after Pat Fletcher, I still think that when we get here, we all do well. I think you will want to do it. Close to home.”
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