Nick Taylor of Canada holds the trophy after profitable the Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto on June 11, 2023.| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Nick Taylor rolled in a shocking 72-foot putt on the fourth playoff gap to win the Canadian Open on Sunday and grow to be the primary home-grown winner of the boys’s nationwide championship in nearly seven many years.

Not since Pat Fletcher in 1954 had a Canadian hoisted the trophy as Taylor ended a day of unrelenting drama by draining the longest putt of his profession to disclaim Englishman Tommy Fleetwood his first PGA Tour win.

“This is for all the guys through the years, this is for my family at home,” stated Taylor after ending one of many nation’s longest sporting droughts. “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.”

When the ball disappeared into the outlet, hitting the flagstick topped with a Canadian flag, it triggered a wild scene at wet Oakdale Golf and Country Club as followers celebrated an eagle putt that was immediately labelled one of many best pictures in Canadian golf historical past.

“With the rain coming down, the slope, obviously, we knew it was going to be slow,” stated Taylor of the profitable putt. “To get it there was, obviously, a bit of a surprise, honestly.

“For that to drop is - it was a huge surprise but an amazing one.”

Among these throwing their arms into the air and charging onto the 18th inexperienced have been Taylor’s fellow Canadian golfers together with Mike Weir, the one Canadian man to win a significant.

Weir, who had an opportunity to finish the drought in 2004 solely to lose to Vijay Singh in a playoff, stated it was a “huge” win.

“A lot of players get to play in their hometown and there’s a lot of pressure but when you are playing for your home country it’s a different level of pressure,” the 2003 Masters champion added.

After a gap spherical of three-over-par 75, Taylor regarded extra prone to miss the minimize than be standing on the 18th inexperienced accepting a trophy.

Afterwards he stated he talked along with his spouse Andie, who gave him a “kick in the butt”.

It was a message the 35-year-old heard loud and clear as he responded with a strong second spherical five-under 67 after which a course file nine-under 63 on Saturday to surge into rivalry.

While Taylor’s win introduced one lengthy, painful drought to an finish one other continues with no Canadian-based NHL franchise having gained the Stanley Cup for 30 years and counting.

Golf and ice hockey have been linked on the Canadian Open, significantly on the boisterous par-three ‘Rink Hole’, which is ready up like an enviornment.

Taylor was serenaded with the nationwide anthem ‘O Canada’ earlier than taking his tee shot on the gap.

“It was the most incredible atmosphere I’ve ever been a part of and it’s not even close,” stated Taylor. “There’s ovations on every single tee and green.

“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.”