Nick Taylor of Winnipeg, Manitoba continues his clutch play in playoffs. On Sunday, the 35-year-old Canadian won his second playoff in a year when he won the 2024 Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Taylor shot a four round score of -21 and beat Charley Hoffman of the United States in a playoff. The playoff came eight months to the date after winning the RBC Canadian Open over Tommy Fleetwood of England in June. In Taylor’s win on Sunday, he birdied the 18th hole three times in a row before winning on the second playoff hole.
The major reason for Taylor’s win this weekend was his fabulous start. He had an opening round score of 60. On Thursday, Taylor had 11 birdies and zero bogeys. He birdied the 1st, second, third, fifth, eighth, ninth, 11th, 12th, 13th, 16th, and 18th holes. You could say that Taylor’s second round was rather ordinary (second round score of 70). However, he responded with a third round score of 68 and a fourth round score of 65.
Taylor also had to fight a variety of weather conditions. It included significant rain and heavy fog, which delayed action throughout the weekend.
Two more golfers were in contention. Americans Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler were tied for third place at -18. Scheffler has had outstanding success at the Phoenix Open in recent years. He was victorious in 2022 and 2023.
With the win, Taylor has moved into the top 30 in the Official World Golf Rankings. It was a significant climb as he moved 27 spots from 55th place to 28th place.
