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Canadian golfer Nick Taylor defeated Charley Hoffman to win the 2024 WM Phoenix Open on Sunday, February 11. At the end of 72 holes, he tied with Hoffman and the pair headed for a playoff, which eventually turned into sudden-death as both golfers made birdies on the first extra hole.
Taylor added another birdie on the second playoff hole to win his fourth PGA Tour title. As he made his final winning putt on the 18th hole, Taylor dropped his putter and clenched his fist in celebration. His caddie then hugged him and congratulated him on his incredible victory.
Nick Taylor finished second in the tournament in 2023 but this year, the 35-year-old walked out of the course with a trophy.
NUCLR Golf shared a video of Taylor's celebration after making the final putt on its X (formerly Twitter) account with the caption:
"#WINNER — Nick Taylor defeats Charley Hoffman in a playoff to win the #WMPhoenixOpen, his fourth PGA Tour victory!"
Taylor dominated the golf course last week throughout the four rounds. He maintained his position in the top 5, starting with the first round on Thursday, February 8.
"The finish was pretty dream-like" - Nick Taylor on his victory at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open
Nick Taylor started his game at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open with a bogey-free round of 60 on Thursday. He made 11 birdies in the opening round, including six on the front nine and five on the back nine. He had trouble in the second round when he shot one bogey and two birdies to score 1-under 70.
In the third round, Taylor sank five birdies and just two bogeys to score 3-under 68 followed by another bogey-free round on Sunday with six birdies to finish in a tie with Hoffman at 21-under.
The Canadian shot three back-to-back birdies, including one at the end of the fourth round and two in the playoff, to win the tournament.
Speaking about his victory, Taylor said (via USA Today):
“The finish was pretty dream-like. My setup got much cleaner, my face rotation slowed down, so we've done the same drills for a year, just constantly repeating them over and over again. I felt like growing up the claw was kind of a stigma. If you went to that, you probably struggled on the greens, but for me, once I committed to it, I haven't turned back, and I've never putted better than the last year.”
Scottie Scheffler, last year's champion, settled in a tie for third place with Sam Burns. Sahith Theegala finished in fifth place, followed by Jordan Spieth and Maverick McNealy, who tied for sixth place.
