Nick Taylor Rides Hot Putter to a Playoff Triumph at the WM Phoenix Open
TPC Scottsdale’s crisp white cups looked more like gaping sinkholes to Nick Taylor on Sunday evening. If anyone has the “clutch” gene when it comes to draining putts when they matter the most, it’s the 35-year-old Canadian.
As the Super Bowl commenced Sunday evening, Taylor captured his fourth PGA Tour win at the WM Phoenix Open in a two-hole sudden-death playoff. He birdied three of his last four holes in regulation and fired off two more birdies in the playoff to defeat WM ambassador Charley Hoffman.
The birdie run helped Taylor successfully avenge his 2023 second-place finish at this event, where he came up just two shots shy of defending champion Scottie Scheffler.
All week Taylor demonstrated with his stellar play that the Stadium course is a routing that perfectly suits his eye. A Scottsdale resident, Taylor plays TPC several times every year and his course knowledge and comfort in the desert became all the more evident when he shot an opening-round 60, tying the tournament’s 18-hole scoring record.
At the time, Taylor’s explanation of the historic scorecard should have been a clear indicator of what was to come. His putter, which he grips with the unique “claw” grip, was simply heating up like he had never seen before.
“I’ve probably never putted that well,” he said. “I essentially made every putt I looked at. It was a day that you don’t want to end.”
Taylor was forced to scramble early Sunday as he struggled with his ballstriking, relying on several par saves to keep in contention. On the 2nd hole, Taylor got up and down from 57 yards and sunk a pivotal 8-footer for par. On the par-5 3rd, a penalty drop from the native area gave him trouble, but he stuck a wedge to two feet from 125 to remain at even par for the day. The Canadian cited a speedy turnaround in between the delayed rounds as a possible reason for the disconnect in his swing.
“I didn't have it early on. I made some ridiculous par saves,” Taylor said. “It was a marathon day. We signed our scorecard after the third round, and I had eight minutes to go to the tee. I don't know if that riled me a little bit, but it was just a long day. Again, to find my swing a bit the last nine or 10 holes and make some birdies was incredible.”
After a fifth consecutive par, the birdies finally started to drop as they did at the beginning of the week. Taylor closed his opening nine holes with birdies on 6, 7 and 9. A lag resumed on the 10th hole, with Taylor making another five pars in a row. But down the stretch—amidst the rowdiest fans and arguably on the most challenging corner of the course—Taylor caught fire, erasing a three-shot Hoffman lead.
With Hoffman playing two groups ahead, Taylor knew he had to make some magic happen on the infamous four-hole final stretch at TPC Scottsdale. The Winnipeg native laid up on the par-5 15th, employing a strategy that not many pros choose on the reachable hole. But he walked away with a birdie.
No quit in @NTaylorGolf59.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 11, 2024
He's just one back with two to play @WMPhoenixOpen. pic.twitter.com/Q6k52vSXF1
Then Taylor entered the iconic stadium hole and gave the rowdy crowd something to cheer about. He stuck the 166-yard shot to within 6 feet and drained another putt to reach 20 under. On 17, Taylor couldn’t take advantage of the drivable par 4, leaving 18 as his opportunity to enter a playoff with the 47-year-old veteran, who was already warming up on the range.
Taylor’s drive skirted the right-hand fairway bunker, leaving 141 yards for his approach. He fired at the flag, landing 9 feet from the pin. And as his early week performance could have foreshadowed, Taylor’s ball curled inside the right edge, launching him into a passionate fist pump.
Clutch. https://t.co/BXYivWHFHK pic.twitter.com/35P1ReKdS4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 12, 2024
Two more birdies in a head-to-head faceoff against Hoffman and Taylor would finally be a champion in the desert.
Last summer, Taylor won on home soil at the RBC Canadian Open by sinking a 72-foot eagle putt on a fourth playoff hole against Tommy Fleetwood. On Sunday, it was only fitting that the flatstick carried him once again to an epic finish in familiar territory. But this time Taylor’s wife and two young children were there to witness Taylor’s stone-cold composure and unbeatable stroke in person.
“It’s the best,” Taylor said, tears welling in his eyes. “Canadian Open they weren’t there and it was killing me. This one is amazing.”
NICK TAYLOR IS CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/UdJpm2JwZ7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 12, 2024