Nick Taylor found himself on an exclusive list with Tiger Woods after winning the Sony Open.
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Nick Taylor finds himself in rarefied air after his thrilling playoff victory over Nico Echavarria on Sunday at the Sony Open.
Taylor needed it drain a wonderful chip on the 72nd hole in the Valley Country Club to find a way to the playoffs. But once Taylor reached the sudden-death playoffs, he did what he’s done in each of the last two seasons — won.
Both Taylor and Echavarria birdied the first playoff hole before the Canadian got the better of the 30-year-old Colombian with a birdie on the second hole to clinch his fifth PGA Tour victory and third of the season streak with a playoff win.
In 2023, Taylor drained a 72-foot putt to beat Tommy Fleetwood at the RBC Canadian Open. The Canadian once again rose to the occasion last season when he defeated Charley Hoffman in a two-hole playoff to win a Signature Event at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
By beating Echavarria in extra holes on Sunday, Taylor joined an exclusive group of players to win a PGA Tour event in a playoff in three consecutive seasons. According to Golf stats guru Justin RayTaylor is the first player to accomplish the feat since Bubba Watson in 2010-12. For Ray, only five players have won in a playoff in three consecutive seasons since 1999. That list includes Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
In 1999, Woods beat Miguel Angel Jimenez on the first playoff hole to win the WGC-American Express Championship. Woods defeated Bob May in a playoff to win the 2000 PGA Championship the following year. He also defeated Ernie Els in a playoff at the 2000 Mercedes Championship. Then, in 2001, Woods defeated Jim Furyk in an epic seven-hole playoff battle to win the 2001 WGC-NEC Invitational.
Taylor struggled last season after winning in Phoenix. After that playoff win, he only got one top-10, which came in the team event at the Zurich Classic. Taylor’s inconsistent season saw him fall out of the top 50 on the FedEx Cup list and forced Mike Weir to knock him out of the Presidents Cup the team.
The 36-year-old Canadian worked hard during the fall and hopes to be more consistent in 2025.
If he can get himself in the hunt more often, he believes he’ll start racking up wins. He has already proven to have a clutch gene that delivers in big moments.
“I feel like I can rise to the occasion and it’s a lot of fun,” Taylor said Sunday after the win.
It never hurts to find your name on a list with Woods and Mickelson.
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