2024 RBC Canadian Open: Top 10 power rankings at Hamilton

Even if Nick Taylor repeats as champion this week, nothing will top the elation of his 2023 RBC Canadian Open triumph.

As mentioned in the intro, Taylor sent the galleries at Oakdale into an uproar after he rolled in a 72-foot eagle putt to defeat Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff.

It would’ve been a frenzied environment regardless of who pulled off such theatrics. The fact that it was a Canadian winning his national open for the first time in nearly seven decades made it the stuff of legend.

It was no fluke that Taylor took home the trophy. It was his third of now four career PGA Tour titles (‘14 Sanderson Farms, ‘20 Pebble Beach, ‘24 Phoenix) and a good redemption story after coming up just shy earlier in the year at the WM Phoenix Open, where he took solo second behind Scottie Scheffler.

The former Washington Husky has played well in his home open. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native is 5-for-8 making the cut, including a T-27th the last time this event came to Hamilton in 2019. He’s played the weekend in each of his last four appearances.

In 2019, Taylor opened in 64-65 to sit T-3rd before fading to T-27th. It was a better performance than his first trip to Hamilton in 2012. The then-Canadian Tour player missed the cut and was nearly DFL after posting 75-74.

Taylor is seeking to regain the form that helped him to a win earlier this year in Phoenix, as well as nice showings at Signature Events like the Arnold Palmer Invitational (T-12th) and Players Championship (T-26th).

Taylor’s win in Phoenix featured the low round all season on the PGA Tour, a 60 in round one.

He comes in off a week of rest.

On the season, the 36-year-old ranks 30th in Strokes Gained: Putting (.388) and 51st in SG: Approach (.308). Taylor is probably already a lock for the International Presidents Cup team, but a win this week would remove any doubt.