The moment was 69 years in the making.
On the fourth playoff hole during the final round of the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor did the impossible. The 35-year old drained a 72-foot putt for eagle to claim the title, marking the first time a Canadian has won the national open tournament since Pat Fletcher back in 1954.
“I’m very speechless,” Taylor said in an interview following Sunday’s victory. “This is the most incredible feeling ever.”
The victory was equally exciting for Canadian golf fans, who had waited nearly seven decades for a home-grown talent to claim the national championship.
Golfers at Riverside Country Club in Rothesay, N.B., were buzzing about the moment that occurred just 24 hours prior throughout the day.
“I was sitting on the couch with my father and we were watching it,” said golfer Daniel Vaughan. “And I pretty much fell out of the couch. It was pretty exciting to watch Canadian history to unfold right in front of your eyes.”
“My neighbours probably wondered what the heck happened,” recalls fellow golfer Lee Whelly. “Because I jumped and yelled so loud in the house.”
Steve Voutour was overjoyed watching the action unfold, and could only imagine the stress going through Taylor’s mind.
“I just tried to make one for six-feet and it was stressful enough,” grins Voutour. “I can’t imagine what a 72-foot putt was like for history. Sixty-nine years is a long time coming.”
Another member of Riverside, Bev MacDonald, called the achievement a wonderful moment for Canadian golf.
“What really struck me were the fans,” says MacDonald. “The golfers all stayed to cheer him on and support him, but just the Canadian fans singing the national anthem and hanging in until the end.”
Riverside has a strong youth program that sees 60 kids come out every weekend for training. Like any Canadian fan of the sport, Riverside head pro Carrie Vaughan was thrilled with the result. She looks forward to the impact Taylor’s win will have on the next generation of Canadian golfers.
“The kids that play the MJT (Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour) now are going to say that you played the same places I played and look what he’s doing,” says Vaughan.
“Just like Lori Kane inspired me, Brooke Henderson has inspired a bunch of young girls, this is going to explode junior golf once again,” Vaughan says.” It seems like every century, we have got another one coming through so it’s pretty cool.”
Taylor is living proof of the impact winning can have on young Canadian golf fans.
“I look up to Mike Weir,” says Taylor. “And if kids say the same thing about me, that is probably the biggest compliment I could ever get.”
