2023 RBC Canadian Open: Taylor Capitalizes On Fleetwood’s Folly

On the fourth playoff hole of the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, Nick Taylor drained the longest, biggest (72-foot eagle) putt of his life in order to cement his legacy as (being) the first Canadian player to win the country’s most prestigious event since Pat Fletcher won his Canadian Open circa 1954.

Before Taylor’s walk-off putt hit the bottom of the cup during the two players’ fourth (and final) go-around of the day on the 18th hole, the Canadian’s opponent, (Englishman) Tommy Fleetwood, left the door ajar by failing to birdie the easy, 499-yard par 5-18th hole two out of three times (previously) in regulation on the 72nd hole and the second playoff hole. On the final hole of the tournament, Fleetwood lied 3 positioned (some) 15 feet away from the hole and was forced into a concession when Taylor nailed the winning eagle-putt.

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On the 72nd hole, Taylor sunk a (clutch) downhill, right-to-left birdie-putt to vault himself to 17-under (par) and into the tournament’s leading-position while Fleetwood was playing behind him. Trying to capture his first tour-victory coming up the 72nd hole (whilst) in a tie with (the already-finished) Taylor atop the leaderboard, the long-haired, fan-favorite in Fleetwood knew he needed (just) a birdie to seal-the-deal. Over the course of the 32-year-old Englishman’s PGA Tour career, he’s endured his fair share of agonizing-defeats thru near-misses in events such as the Honda Classic, US Open, Players Championship, and others. For Tommy, this latest close-call is particularly reminiscent of his (similar) shortcomings during the 2020 Honda Classic where he finished two-shots back of winner Sungjae Im.

During the modern-era of professional golf, the existence of (inherently) longer golf courses is essential in order to keep pace with the proportionate increases in distance. As such, it’s no longer uncommon for Tour pros to play par 4’s which measure distances of (up to) 500 yards (and longer) on a week-to-week basis at regular Tour-stops. Parallel to this, I’m not sure there (currently) exists more than a couple of par-5 holes within the entire PGA Tour’s schedule which measure less-than 500 yards.

For the most part, a par 5 isn’t considered (to be) long if it doesn’t measure (at-least) 580 yards and (more) often, (at least) 600 yards. Of such holes, the closing hole at Kapalua fits this description as the par-5 measured (some) 670 yards during the playing of the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions. Despite its (strong) length, several Tour players were able to reach the green in (just) 2 shots. Although Kapalua’s scenic-finishing hole plays closer to an “adjusted yardage” of 600 yards than it does to 700 yards (due to the hole being downhill/(often)downwind), the fact that players are not only getting-home in 2 shots but are doing so thru less-than driver/3-wood (both) speak(s) to the ease with which players of today’s era hit the ball (incredibly far) distances. With that in mind, it’s no mystery (as to) why, year-after-year, the list of the Tour’s top-10 easiest holes (based on scoring average relative to par) contains nothing but par 5’s in the (near) 500-yard range. Holes like the 503-yard par-5 opening hole at Riviera CC are designed/setup to be eaten alive by the best players in the world.

At Oakdale Golf and Country Club, 499-yards of par-5 presents players with a (feasible) opportunity to make eagle and a missed opportunity should any single player fail to salvage a birdie (or better). Unlike the setup of most par-72 courses (10 par 4’s, 4 par 5’s, 4 par 3’s), Oakdale’s par-72 layout is unique in nature as it consists of 12 par 4’s and (just) 3 par 5’s and 3 par 3’s. Although the last one of Oakdale’s three par 5’s (thru its 18th hole) isn’t designed to make 4 a ridiculously easy score to be had, each player sitting on 18’s tee-box approaches the hole knowing he ought to have a make-able mid-range putt for birdie if he does his job leading up to that point. If you demolish the ball like the 6’5”, 230 pound bomber/(former) Temple University-Owl’s standout (in) Brandon Matthews does, you stand on the 18th tee hoping to have a wedge in your hand for your second-shot. In an incredible display of effortless power, Matthews carried his drive some 340 yards over the creek which runs across the entire length of the 18th fairway in order to leave himself a sand-wedge at roughly 150 yards into the green for his second during Thursday’s opening round.

The creek running thru the fairway of the 18th hole at the RBC Canadian Open also comes into play (at a much shorter distance away from the tee) at roughly 260-270 yards along the right side of the fairway. While any single player who possesses Matthews (incredible) length makes the length of the 18th hole look somewhat comical in nature, the native Philadelphian (currently) is in a class of his own as far as length is concerned even when one considers how far Rory McIlroy hits the golf ball. Within the context of contending for the tournament-title on the final hole of the event like Fleetwood/Taylor both were, I’m not sure that even Matthews would assume such a level of risk in attempting to carry the creek on 18 off-the-tee. With that in mind, it makes sense why players lay-up of the creek as short as Fleetwood did on four separate occasions during Sunday’s regulation/playoff holes of competition. All four times, Fleetwood opted in favor of a long-iron off-the-tee.

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After taking the conservative route off of the tee by hitting his iron 225-250 yards, Tommy (routinely) left himself at a distance of between 250-275 yards away from the pin for his second shot. But, in a couple of BIG mistakes, Fleetwood missed the fairway both right/left in the rough/fairway-bunker, respectively, even though he chose a club he should be hitting straighter than a driver/3-wood. For his first-shot of the final hole of the playoff (tournament), he pulled his iron off the tee into the left fairway-bunker which all-but forced him to play short of the green for his (next) second as he watched Taylor (be more aggressive) off-the-tee and be (ultimately) rewarded for his (aggressive) efforts thru beating Tommy. Honestly, I have to bring into question the existence of Tommy’s lack of aggressiveness in playing the 18th hole. Also, I have to call into question his (conservative) club-selection, which was an iron which landed in a fairway bunker. Chances are, however, that Tommy flushed/overcooked his iron off of the tee which caused it to travel longer and further left than he had anticipated in the tournament’s final hole.

Had Tommy made birdie after hitting his tee-shot into the right rough (with iron), nobody would be questioning Tommy’s course-management in hindsight. As they say, the ends justify the means. You may think it’s easy to take the position I’ve taken here in saying that Tommy could’ve elected to be a bit more aggressive than he was on the 18th hole. I understand that he was putting well (which adds further credence to the fact that exercising caution, as he did, was the right play). I also understand that Tommy left himself in the fairway a couple of times with a (legitimate) chance to get the ball/on-the-green and near the hole (from 250-275). While he birdied it once out of the first three times (and may have birdied it again on the fourth and final try), Tommy needed to express confidence in his superior ability to strike the golf ball.

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Over the years, Tommy’s been a fantastic ball-striker both with the woods/irons and a very mediocre putter. However, Tommy made the biggest (most) clutch putt I’ve ever seen him make on the first playoff hole thru sinking a 18-20 footer for birdie to (ultimately) force a second playoff hole after Nick drained his birdie putt, too. Unfortunately, Tommy (unlike Taylor) never gave himself an opportunity for eagle on the 18th hole. At some level, especially during Tommy’s playing of the 72nd hole, I got the impression that he was playing not to lose the tournament, rather than to win it. While these sentiments mostly exist as a function of my own personal assessment of Tommy’s (sub-par) performance off-the-tee (on 18) both in its execution/course-management, I also fully acknowledge how (much) the putter let him down on a couple of playoff holes, as well.

Before Nick Taylor made his exceptional 72-footer to win the tournament, the golf which took place during the playoff wasn’t very inspiring besides a couple of solid putts on the first hole. Similar to the fashion in which Tommy rinsed his second-shot on the par 5 18th hole of the Honda Classic on the last hole of Sunday’s final round, Tommy missed right-of-the-green with his fairway-wood approach thru a high, spinner/bad-swing on the 18th hole playing with Taylor in the Canadian open playoff. For a guy who was putting as well as Tommy had been leading up to that point in the tournament, he had no reason to be taking dead-aim at a tucked right-pin from a distance of roughly 250 yards (dead uphill). Having said that, this was the “aggressive” play. But, to me, it’s easier to be a little bit aggressive on the tee box (in electing to push the ball further up the left-side of the hole/fairway with a 3-wood/driver) than it is (being aggressive) from a tight lie to a smaller target (located) on the green. In other words, Tommy expressed loads of caution on the tee shot in order to set himself up to play very aggressively on his second by (first) finding the fairway with his iron and then by trying to go pin-seeking with a fairway-metal (which didn’t pan out).

Tommy Fleetwood plays the draw to perfection. As such, it’s harder for him to attack pins located closer to the right side of the green (than the left). Also, one would think Tommy’s (more) fearful of missing left. While hindsight is 20/20, I’m sure Tommy regrets (to some degree) either his execution of his shots on the 72nd hole and/or the manner in which he attacked it. Whatever the case, Tommy found himself battling for a two-putt par on a hole that should present a Tour player with inside 15 feet for birdie. Heck, I’d like to know how many times Tommy Fleetwood has gone driver-iron onto the green of 500 yard par 4’s. While the circumstances he found himself in during the 72nd hole/playoff were different than your typical day tackling a typical, albeit long par 4, Tommy didn’t even give himself a (realistic) opportunity to eagle the 72nd hole and, in addition, watched himself lose the tournament on the final hole without ever really altering his strategy on a short par 5 that I’m sure he owns every day of the week. Well, every day of the week that isn’t a Sunday of a PGA Tour event.

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