Global Courant
Golf fans across Canada celebrated Sunday as Nick Taylor made a dramatic 22-yard eagle putt to seal victory at the RBC Canadian Open, making him the first Canadian in 69 years to win the men’s National Open.
Nowhere was the cheer louder than in Taylor’s hometown of Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Phil Dodd, the former president of Ledgeview Golf Club, said Taylor’s victory on Canadian soil was a huge moment for the golfing community in Abbotsford, 70 kilometers east of Vancouver.
Dodd celebrated more than most. As a youngster, Taylor honed his skills at Ledgeview. Dodd is also the 35-year-old golfer’s father-in-law.
“Nick is first and foremost a family man and such a down-to-earth responsible guy that he’s on the go, and he’s grinding away… It’s just amazing,” Dodd told Early Edition host Stephen Quinn Monday morning.
LOOK | Nick Taylor makes 72-foot eagle putt to win RBC Canadian Open:
Nick Taylor makes 72-foot eagle putt to win RBC Canadian Open
Taylor put down the longest putt of his career and won the tournament on the fourth playoff hole.
Dodd described Taylor’s win as the culmination of years of hard work starting as a junior at Ledgeview. An emerging golfer, he won the Canadian Junior in 2006 and the Canadian Amateur Championship in 2007.
“Actually, all that was left was the Canadian Open. He brushed that off yesterday,” Dodd said.
“He’s always had a professional approach, even as an amateur. He was just so down to earth and focused on his game.”
Taylor’s ties to Abbotsford came to the fore in memorable fashion at the Canadian Open.
Golfer Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford and a close friend of Taylor’s, rushed onto the green with a bottle of champagne in hand after the winning putt – only to be tackled by an unwitting guard.
LOOK | Adam Hadwin gets tackled by security as he celebrates Nick Taylor’s historic win:
Golfer Adam Hadwin is tackled by security as he celebrates Nick Taylor’s historic win
PGA Tour member Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, BC, was tackled by security while trying to celebrate Nick Taylor’s historic win at the RBC Canadian Open.
Conquering a ‘devilish’ green
The win was also celebrated by golf coach Gareth Raflewski, who had worked on his short game with Taylor.
He described Taylor’s 22 yard putt as “off the charts”.
Tied at 17-under, Taylor dueled England’s Tommy Fleetwood over four playoff holes. Matching birdies and pars, they played the 18th hole twice before each paring on the ninth.
And so they went back to the 18th. Fleetwood’s tee shot landed in a bunker, but Taylor’s opted for the first shot.
It enabled the Canadian to attack the green, and he did, leaving a long eagle putt on a tricky green at Toronto’s Oakdale Golf and Country Club that Raflewski described as “devilish.”
In that situation, many golfers would focus on getting the ball close to the hole to avoid a three-putt, Raflewski said. Instead, Taylor made the putt.
“He got all the calculations right and a little bit of luck on his side there, bringing it in was…nice to watch,” Raflewski said.
Raflewski said he has been working with Taylor on “eye training” so he can better visualize put lines and develop a strong putting routine.
Taylor also has some qualities that can’t be taught, Raflewski said.
“He’s not afraid of the big moment,” he said. “It seems built for it.”
The last player from Canada to win the Canadian Open was Pat Fletcher in Point Gray in Vancouver in 1954. Fletcher was born in England; Carl Keffer had been the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914.
The early edition8:00 amNick Taylor wins: Stephen speaks with his father-in-law and his putting coach
Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor won the RBC Canadian Open with a nail-biting putt from 22 yards. We hear about the journey to that moment of magic with two guests: Phil Dodd, Nick’s father-in-law and former president of Ledgeview Golf and Country Club where Nick honed his skills, and Gareth Raflewski, an acclaimed putting coach who has worked with Nick for The past two years.
