» Clock ticking for Canadian to win a men’s major championship

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — The time is now for this prolific generation of Canadian PGA Tour pros.

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The days when it was a shock to see multiple Canadian flags on the front page of a leaderboard are long gone.

Between Nick Taylor, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Hadwin, the maple leaf is well-represented week-to-week on tour. But every member of this impressive group — with a combined 11 wins on tour — is now older than Mike Weir was when he won the 2003 Masters at 32 years old.

This week at the Masters — where Taylor, Conners, Pendrith and Weir are in the field — it would surprise nobody to see one or more of them on the leaderboard at some point.

But the next step for this group isn’t a fleeting moment of contention at a major championship, which Conners and Hughes already have experienced. The next step is battling hard on Sunday afternoon and with a legitimate shot at victory, to hopefully join Weir and become the second Canadian in golf’s exclusive club of men’s major champions.

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“I obviously want to be in the biggest moments and pull off shots, which I’ve been able to do,” Taylor said when asked by the Toronto Sun about his goals for this season.

“But the biggest moments are the majors, so that is the next step. Teeing off Sunday with a chance going to the back nine is definitely the next step in my career that I’m working hard towards. And again that belief is growing that I’m able to do that, I just need to do it.”

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Taylor has lapped his Canadian contemporaries with five PGA Tour wins, compared with two for Conners and Hughes, and one each for Hadwin and Pendrith. But the majors have been a head-scratching endeavour for the Abbotsford, B.C., native.

At 36 years old, Taylor is the most senior member of the group and also the only one who has earned the reputation as a cold-blooded closer on Sundays when in contention, especially with his putter.

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The major problem for Taylor, literally, is that he somehow has missed the cut in his past nine major championships. An almost unfathomable number for a player who has notched PGA Tour wins in each of the past three seasons.

“It’s been odd with potentially a couple poor draws, some missed cuts by one or two, so I know I’m not far off,” he said. “It’s just getting through that barrier of probably the belief standpoint and that I’ve played well enough at a vast majority of golf courses that there’s no reason I can’t compete out here.”

Everyone in the sport knows that if they see Taylor in the hunt late on Sunday, there is a good chance the Canadian will end up with the trophy. But, first, he has to be playing on the weekend for that happen.

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At the other end of the spectrum is Conners, whose world-class tee-to-green game frequently finds him in the mix on weekends. But just as frequently, his questionable short game and putting (he never has finished a season inside the top-100 on the greens) doesn’t stand up under pressure.

The 33-year-old’s precise ball-striking and gentle draw are made for Augusta National, and the man with one of golf’s most enviable swings is one of the most popular bets to finish inside the top ten at every Masters, a feat he accomplished three consecutive years from 2020-2022.

“There is an added comfort level knowing you had some good rounds out here, knowing what it takes to play well. I think that’s definitely huge here compared to some of the weeks,” Conners said.

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Armed with a new prototype putter this season and with three top-10s in his past four PGA Tour starts, Conners arrives ranked an all-time high 21st in the world, and looking to take the next step.

“I’m certainly excited with the way I’ve been playing,” Conners said. “I feel like there is a win around the corner. I’ve just got to stick to the game plan and we’ll see what happens. Try and get myself in the mix on Sunday … I feel a little bit more comfortable and ready to get it done.”

Pendrith is the wild-card Canadian. The big-hitter was a late bloomer after a career of false starts largely caused by injuries and is making his Masters debut.

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“I think this golf course is great for him,” Conners said of Pendrith. “He hits it long and straight. Good iron player. Really creative. Good touch around the greens. I think it sets up great for him. His game is looking great and excited for him to get his first Masters underway.”

Pendrith will be paired in a group with Masters legend Fred Couples over the first two days and will need the Augusta legend’s experience to rub off on him if he has any hopes of becoming just the second Masters rookie to win the green jacket. Fuzzy Zoeller won in his first attempt in 1979.

“I feel like my game’s good right now and I feel like we just tried to learn as much as we could today,” Pendrith said of the Tuesday practice round with Conners, Taylor and Weir. “It’s really tricky. Certain shots are tough and you really got to kind of work the angles and be smart with some things. My game feels good … It’s already been such a cool week, so I’m hoping to play well. I think my game’s good and kind of suits the course well.”

As much of an accomplishment as it is simply to be in the field at the season’s first major, for this generation of Canadian men to cement its legacy, one of them needs to put their name beside Mike Weir.

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