MEDINAH, Ill. – Nick Taylor waited way too long for his Presidents Cup debut but he made the most of the opportunity.
The 38-year-old Canadian teamed with his fellow Canuck Corey Conners to knock off world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and his pal Sam Burns, 1 up, in a foursomes match on Friday.
Taylor has always been a big-game hunter, able to rise to the occasion in shooting a 63 in the final round when he needed it to earn his Tour card or remain in the top 125; when he was dueling with Phil Mickelson to win at Pebble Beach or pitted against Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff to become the first Canadian to win his national open in 69 years.
Taylor should have been a pick before and 2024 International Team captain Mike Weir should have lost his Canadian
citizenship for leaving him off the team in Montreal. Finally, Taylor got the call this time but he had to wait an extra day to see action.
On Thursday, he took in the first tee experience, played a few practice holes and followed the last nine holes.
“It was a good day to experience everything, also stayed sharp,” he said. “It was just a fun day to experience all the energy and then get excited for today.”
And go get a big scalp for his team with Conners.
“Corey, he's a super reliable ball striker and player. I knew where he was going to put me, I could try to apply some pressure coming into the greens,” he said.
Scheffler and Burns came out swinging and led 1 up through four holes but the Canadian duo nabbed the fifth and sixth to take the lead and never trailed the rest of the day. Scheffler and Burns missed birdie putts on Nos. 6 and 7 from less than 7 feet and despite winning No. 10 with a par – the lone mistake of the day for the Canadians – the birdies dried out. Taylor and Conners grabbed the lead at No. 12 with a birdie and hung on from there.
Scheffler and Burns, who struggled much of the day, almost squeezed out a half point at the last when Taylor drove into trouble and Conners only could punch out. Taylor had 151 yards and came up clutch in crunch time yet again.
“The wind was a little off the right, maybe a hair of hurt. So I would say normal conditions, I would have to step on a 9-iron, but with a bit of adrenaline, I felt like it was just a little hold 9-iron up against it,” he explained. “One, I wasn't sure if I could hit that close, to be honest, but it came out perfect. It was a nice feeling walking up that it was a kick-in.”
Asked how he knew it was close, he replied, “There was about eight women by the green cheering for us.”
But his other 10 teammates were thrilled with the win after a birdie putt by Burns that would’ve won the hole and tied the match lipped out and brought him to his knees in disbelief. Scheffler and Burns lifted their caps in defeat, something they have done way too many times as partners. Scheffler’s career record fell to 1-8 in foursomes. As for Taylor, he’s 1-0 and will be sent right back out as a tandem with Conners in a four-ball match Saturday morning.
What a day for the Canadians as the International Team swept all five matches but none bigger than downing the world No. 1 in the top match of the day.
Adam Schupak is a Golfweek senior writer covering the PGA Tour and the 2026 Presidents Cup.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Nick Taylor comes up clutch in long-awaited Presidents Cup debut
