Nick Taylor has a flair for the dramatic.
It wasn’t enough that the Canadian birdied three of his last four holes in regulation play Sunday at TPC Scottsdale to force a playoff with 47-year-old Charley Hoffman in the WM Phoenix Open.
In extra holes, Taylor birdied the 18th hole twice – that made it three times in less than an hour – to pull out the playoff victory.
“This is just amazing,” Taylor said after finishing regulation play at 21-under-par 263, tied with Hoffman.
Taylor, 35, started his week by shooting 60 in the first round, then rode the highs and lows and stops and starts of a challenging week to win his fourth PGA Tour title.
Though it didn’t have quite the gravitas of Taylor’s monumental tournament-winning 72-foot eagle putt at the RBC Canadian Open last year, it was another example of his ability to handle big moments.
It was an abrupt twist to a story that seemed destined to end with Hoffman winning his first tour event in nearly eight years.
Holding a three-stroke lead as he played the rambunctious three-hole finish at TPC Scottsdale, Hoffman recorded what seemed to be his biggest moment at the par-4 17th, where he made a brilliant two-putt par from 70 feet to maintain his lead.
It appeared to be enough until Taylor changed the narrative. Taylor closed with three birdies over the final four holes to force the playoff. The biggest came at the 72nd hole, where Taylor coaxed in a 9-foot birdie putt that caught the right edge and fell in while Hoffman watched from the first tee, where he was warming up for a potential playoff.
Taylor’s victory at Oakdale in Toronto last summer was one of the most dynamic moments of the PGA Tour season, making him the first homegrown winner of the event in 69 years. He also became only the second Canadian to win in Phoenix, joining the late George Knudson, who won in 1968.
A year ago, Taylor finished second behind Scottie Scheffler in Phoenix and called upon that experience Sunday.
Forced to complete the weather-delayed third round Sunday morning, Taylor almost immediately went back out in the final round and, near the end of a long day, found what he was chasing.
“It was a marathon day,” said Taylor, who earned $1.584 million from the $8.8 million purse. “I had about eight minutes to go to the tee [after finishing his third round]. It was a long day.
“To find my swing the last nine or 10 holes and make some birdies was amazing.”
Of all the out-of-the-box things that happened at the WM Phoenix Open – and it may have stretched the boundaries beyond anything seen before at a PGA Tour event – the most unlikely may have been Hoffman’s spirited run.
Other than the fact that he has a track record of playing well around TPC Scottsdale, there wasn’t much reason to expect Hoffman to win his first PGA Tour event since 2016 in the desert. In three 2024 starts, Hoffman’s finishes were: T42, MC, T56.
But in a week when the weather disrupted the proceedings again and crowd issues forced a Saturday afternoon halt in alcohol sales and caused tournament leaders to close the spectator gates for a time, Hoffman used a third-round 64 to catapult himself into the final round. He held off a handful of challengers, including world No. 1 and two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler, and posted another 64 for the clubhouse lead until Taylor caught him at the last possible moment.
In the 2022-23 season, Hoffman made 31 starts (among the most on tour) and had just three top-15 finishes including a T14 in Phoenix.
“I played my butt off. I gave myself a chance. I knew if I got to that 22 (under par) number it would be hard for him to catch me, and left a putt short in regulation,” Hoffman said.
“But I love the juices. I love competing. This builds a little fire in the belly. I definitely want to be back here.”
Ron Green Jr.