The mid-winter blahs are something Nick Taylor has only heard about.
Taylor has won four of his five career PGA Tour titles in the winter months, most recently winning the Sony Open in Hawaii on Jan. 12 in a playoff with Colombia's Nico Echavarr铆a. He'll defend his WM Phoenix Open championship this week, which he also won in a playoff, besting Charley Hoffman of the United States last year.
"It's a combination of recharging, getting some rest, getting a bunch of family time, but also being motivated and working on the things that I want to improve," Taylor said in a recent video conference with Canadian reporters. "Communicating with my team if it's either my golf swing or getting myself in the gym or the mental side, and coming out eager and ready to go."
Geography is a factor, too.
The PGA Tour starts its schedule in Hawaii and on the west coast, staying in warmer climes during the winter. As a result, Taylor won the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am in California, the WM Phoenix Open in Arizona, and the Sony Open in Hawaii.
"I grew up on a lot of these grasses and had good results throughout the year," the golfer from Abbotsford, B.C., said. "The comfort level is very high as well, so there's a few factors there.
"The last few years, I've definitely motivated myself throughout the off-season and came out ready to go."
Five other Canadians will join Taylor on TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., will look to improve on his No. 22 ranking in the FedEx Cup standings, as will Adam Hadwin (100th) also from Abbotsford, Adam Svensson (T121st) of Surrey, B.C., Mackenzie Hughes (124th) of Dundas, Ont., and Ben Silverman (168th) of Thornhill, Ont.
Taylor said that the responsibilities of being the defending champion at the WM Phoenix Open aren't too onerous compared to the RBC Canadian Open, which he won in 2023.
"Just a few more things that kind of take your time. You've got to manage your practice time," said the 36-year-old. "That would be the biggest difference.
"I think what's nice this week, say, compared to the Canadian Open, last year, is it's the same golf course, a place that I'm comfortable coming back to, to what I know."
DP WORLD TOUR 鈥� Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., will tee it up at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club on Thursday. He's 138th on the European-based tour's rankings after five events.
KORN FERRY TOUR 鈥� Third-ranked Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent into this week's Astara Golf Championship. He's grouped with No. 70 Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., for the first two rounds of the event at Country Club de Bogota in Colombia. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Etienne Papineau of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Vancouver's Stuart Macdonald are also in the field.
LPGA TOUR 鈥� Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is ranked 14th on the Rolex Race to CME Globe standings heading into the Founders Cup in Bradenton, Fla. Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., Hamilton's Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., will also be in the first regular field event of the LPGA Tour season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
