Nick Taylor, Canadian professional golfer won the 2025 Sony Open in Hawaii. This marks his fifth PGA Tour win, with an Eagle on the 18th hole, and an exciting playoff.  

When asked about his win, Nick Taylor said, “Yeah, it was a grind of a day. I didn’t really look at the leaderboards until maybe 13 or 14. Had a
sense of what was going on. When I missed the short putts on 15 and 16 I really thought I needed to get to 17. That’s kind of my number I had to start the day. You know, the chip-in on 18 was awesome. In that situation I think was — all I was thinking was hole it. I felt like par or birdie wasn’t going to change a whole lot with Nico having a birdie chance there”.

As the interview started off with the moderator, Nick went on to talk about his experiences of playing, his feelings of winning and about all the efforts that he has put to come this way long. 

Q. Is this stunning to you?
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah. A little bit.
Q. You look at the ten-footer on the first one, the chip. There was a lot that went right seemed like after a few
things went wrong.
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, it was just one of those where you try to go until they don’t let you play anymore essentially. Like I said, Nico and I were kind of neck in neck all day long and he was hitting it great. Made a couple really nice putts on 15 and 16 where I missed a couple shorts ones
there. Yeah, to be able to hang in there, and, again, I was 1-over through 7, and get on a birdie streak there. It’s always so bunched here, but I did a really good job every day really of just hanging in there. Fortunate for me really good things happened at the end.
Q. What was harder in the playoff holes, what was the harder pitch?
NICK TAYLOR: I think the first one because there wasn’t enough space really to get enough spin. I had that chip for the front right pin the first day and just didn’t grab because it lands on that downslope with the downgrain. Again, luckily there I had just missed to the right side but gave me a good line going by so I had a general idea of what was going to happen there. Again, that putt was huge. Again, I was you assuming Nico being four feet was going to make it.
Q. Hit that one firm.
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, felt like not a whole lot to lose there if I missed.
Q. Congratulations.
NICK TAYLOR: Thank you.
Q. Played here nine times I think and the last two years tied for seventh. Has it been a process, learning this course? Do you feel that your skillset has always matched it?
NICK TAYLOR: I think it was a bit of both. In 2020 I hit it great. It was a really windy here that year. Just didn’t putt very well. I think I finished maybe 30th. Knew, okay, that was maybe one my best results here. I think the COVID year I finished 11th. I think I had the lead through the first couple days, so again, I was getting momentum on this golf course. The year after I wasn’t able to come. I think our family got COVID and we didn’t come. The last three years have been great. I felt like this has been a course that I really started to enjoy. I see the lines really well on the greens. I’ve played them in the nine years probably in every winds condition possible, so really no surprises anymore. Yeah, I had confidence coming into this week. Last week, that’s one course on TOUR where I’m confused how low they shoot, so I felt like my game was pretty good and I
wasn’t overly concerned with only beating eight guys last week. I knew I was coming to a course that I felt like matched my game a little better.
Q. Based on the numbers alone, somebody is going to nickname you Nick Taylor, Mr. Playoff. Is there something you feel — I think everybody’s intensity level probably goes up a little bit, but do you feel like there is always something a little bit more for you?
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I think I enjoy being in those moments. For whatever reason my mind gets clear in those situations of the shot I’m just trying to hit. It’s kind of like a match play situation. I feel like I’ve always enjoyed match play when I was growing up and had success as well just trying to hit each shot at hand. I’ve worked on that the last couple years of why in those situations am I good and other situations where I am not consistent if I’m in 30th or something. We will work on that, but nice start to the year obviously.
Q. First time you held onto your putter when you won a playoff.
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, that’s funny.
Q. How important is the start of the year based on how — I don’t want to say dismal, but bleak part of the second half last year. Did that itch in the off-season?
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, there is a lot of layers to that. Not making top 50 I knew would make the next year just not where I wanted to be. Not making the Presidents Cup definitely hurt. I felt like my play — I had more myself to blame. I felt like I put Mike in a tough situation. Yeah, on top of that I had to play more in the fall than I had originally planned and away from family a few times. Put some work in in the off-season and really wanted to be ready to go. Not that you’re ever expecting necessarily to win right away out of the gates after some time off, but I knew my west coast — because I was in the first two Signature Events, that my west coast was going to be great and a lot of golf courses I played well on and enjoy.
So, again, to have this good of a start is awesome.

Q. Other thing too, and I don’t have any records in front of me so I’m just going on vision here. If you took someone like Corey who has been more steady, you’ve had more dips but also got four wins in the last — forget when Pebble was.
NICK TAYLOR: 2020.
Q. Yeah, four wins since 2020. Would you rather have more consistency or do you like the trophies?
NICK TAYLOR: I really love the trophies, but I would also love to be more consistent. I played with Corey the first couple days. I’ve played with Corey a lot in practice roundsand tournaments. He’s somebody I aspire to be with his consistency. He’s phenomenal. That being said, I really enjoy being in moments and being able to close the deal and win tournaments is ultimately I guess what we’re trying to do. Again, yeah, consistency, I
would love to get there to his level.
Q. On the chip, I know you have to hole it, but having to hole it and actually holing it are two different things.
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah.
Q. Did that look good from the get go?
NICK TAYLOR: We kind of had the shadow from must’ve been the TV tower there. It hit very close to my spot, so we had been on this similar angle I feel like in the past. I think that’s the Sunday pin a lot. We had a reading a little bit to the left with the wind and the slope. Five feet to go, it was one of those like, wind, don’t blow it too far left type of thing and went right in. Definitely one that I landed pretty close to where I was trying to.
Q. You made a point about you keep playing until they tell you the game is over. When you’re in that awkward 50 yard area and Nico is on the fringe 40 feet away. Are you just hoping to get to ten at that point?
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I think in those situations, like match play he at worst is going to two-putt, so I feel like in those situations where I’ve done well is I’m trying to put the pressure back on him. Again, hitting a chip to — I would never say gimme range because I hissed a couple short ones — but three, four feet, and now the pressure is back on him, and I was able to do that.

Q. What were you thinking when you missed the putt on 16? Did you hear that guy shout?
NICK TAYLOR: No.
Q. Okay. Never mind.
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, a little in shock to be honest. I blew it like three feet by, so essentially the same distance. Your head spins a bit in those situations when you miss a short putt. To gather myself and make that one was important in the moment. To hit two great shots in there on 15 and 16 and miss those, if you’d ask me in that moment I thought my chances of winning were pretty low.
Q. How aware were you of what was going on in front of you with Stephan and JJ?
NICK TAYLOR: I felt like nobody got past 16. I don’t know if that’s correct or not. I knew they were at 16 for a while, so when I was hovering around 14 for a while and missing those short putts, you know, I really thought 17 was probably a playoff or winning at the start of the day. Again, 17 can be tricky; 15 and 16 as well. But when Nico hit his bunker shot close I knew 16, I had to give it a shot to chip in. I thought when we finished that we were actually going to be probably pretty fortunate to be in a playoff, I thought a three- or four-way playoff. Even that situation was nice. There was only two of us and all you had to worry about is one other person.
Q. Nick, you had some special comments on the green about our 2024 champion, Grayson Murray. Talk about that as well.
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I just wanted to shine some light on him. He is someone that I’ve known since being on TOUR. Maybe he was a year or two after me. Not that we hung out a great deal, but when we saw each other we would chat briefly. I remember seeing him here one year ago the day after in the airport and chatting with him. He came up to me the weekend in the Canadian Open in 2023 and had the nice things to say about the Phoenix week when I didn’t win but played with Scottie. He was just really impressed. He was just always a guy to come up and say really nice things. You know, with the service on Tuesday, just felt like a week you’re thinking about him the whole time. I just wanted to honor him on this hole.

Q. How much were you thinking about the Masters at the end of last year?
NICK TAYLOR: Not a lot. I was trying to finish top 60.
Q. Okay.
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I knew a good week would get me top 50 and probably sneak in to get that invite. Yeah, nice that I put that on top right now.
Q. Still have three months this year to get there.
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah.