'Once in a lifetime': Nick Taylor eager to soak up Olympic experience

Nick Taylor's name is forever etched in Canadian golf history after his iconic tournament-winning putt at the 2023 Canadian Open ended a 69-year national drought.

On Thursday, the Winnipeg native will deepen his connection with Canadian golf by competing in the 2024 Paris Summer Games, adding his name to a short list of golfers to represent Canada.

"It was a huge goal of mine in the last few years, to be one of the two guys representing Canada," Taylor told theScore. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime type thing."

Some of Taylor's fondest sports memories are from the Olympics. Most notably, Sidney Crosby's golden goal at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, which helps put into perspective the fact Taylor can now call himself an Olympian.

"I think it'll really hit me at the opening ceremonies, seeing all the other athletes, everything put into a city to host the Olympics, which is arguably the biggest sporting event in the world," Taylor said.

He plans to soak up the city and make the most of his Olympic experience with teammate Corey Conners and their wives. On the itinerary before heading to Le Golf National to prepare are swimming and gymnastics events, and even some badminton.

Taylor qualified for his first Olympics as the top-ranked Canadian player after the June 16 cutoff in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The 36-year-old joins Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Mackenzie Hughes, and Conners (who played in the 2020 Tokyo Games) as the only men to represent Canada in the last 100 years.

The Olympic golf tournament, though, is still trying to find its place in golf's hierarchy, despite how difficult it is to qualify for the small 60-man field, and considering the immense pride players have in representing their country.

Taylor explained why.

"The Olympics wasn't an option growing up," he said matter of factly. "They weren't something you dreamt about."

Golf was reintroduced as an Olympic sport in 2016 after a 96-year hiatus, but the Zika virus took the shine off its return in Brazil, with many top players opting out of competing. The coronavirus pandemic put a damper on the delayed Tokyo Games.

Paris feels like golf's first true Summer Olympics in a while, and the field taking on Le Golf National - the 2018 Ryder Cup venue - should create major-type competition.

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Collin Morikawa are in a field featuring 21 of the top 50 players in the world. (Countries send a maximum of two players unless they have more than two inside the top 15, which only applied to the U.S.)

Gold-medal wins by Schauffele (2020) and Justin Rose (2016) further elevate the competition in Taylor's eyes.

"The winners have been players at the top of the game at the time," Taylor said.

Yes, major championship wins are at "the top of the list for anybody," Taylor admitted, but a podium finish in Paris would rank up there with his Canadian Open victory.

"(A medal) would be very high on the list," Taylor said. "The magnitude would resonate with so many people outside of golf and I think that's what's special about the Olympics. It's a worldwide event."

The last couple of months haven't been Taylor's best. Since winning the Phoenix Open in February, his highest finish was T12 at March's Arnold Palmer Invitational, and he's missed five cuts in his last 10 events.

Taylor's looking for a spark in Paris, especially with September's Presidents Cup on home soil in Montreal looming.

"It just feels like I need to go back out and prove myself," he said.

"Hopefully, I can get some momentum going and get some results to make it very hard for (Presidents Cup captain Mike Weir) not to pick me if I don't qualify myself."

Maybe Taylor can harness his Canadian Open magic and create an iconic Crosby-style Olympic moment of his own.