Nick Taylor weathered the onslaught from defending champion Phil Mickelson on Sunday to win only his second PGA Tour event by claiming a four-shot victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, writes ANDRE HUISAMEN.
It was the Canadian’s first win on the tour since 2014 when he won the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Playing with the crowd favourite Mickelson for the fourth round, he held a one-shot lead heading into Sunday’s deciding round.
The American left-hander failed to replicate the performance of last year when he walked away as winner at Pebble Beach, as he shot a two over par round on Sunday to slip out of contention.
Taylor, on the other hand, kept his cool and showed great resilience not fail under pressure around the iconic golf course.
Instead, he went two under par for the final round to ensure a commanding four-stroke victory. His round of 70 on Sunday had him finish the competition on an impressive 19 under par, with American Kevin Streelman coming in second on 15 under par.
Mickelson’s final-round 74 left him in third place for the event on 14 under, while former World No 1 Jason Day finished three strokes back in fourth place.
South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel looked like the player of old this past weekend with a determined performance that yielded the former Masters champion at T5 finish on nine under par after rounds of 67, 66, 73 and 72.
The result no doubt will give him a much-needed confidence boost for the rest of the season.
Photo: Harry How/Getty Images
