Nick Taylor has become the first Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open since 1954 after beating Englishman Tommy Fleetwood in a thrilling playoff finish, landing a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole on Sunday.

The raucous crowd in Toronto willed the ball into the hole as Taylor hit the longest putt of his PGA Tour career, securing his third PGA Tour victory.

Taylor said after the tournament: “I’m speechless. This is for all the guys that are here. This is for my family at home.

“This is the most incredible feeling.”

As Taylor celebrated, throwing his putter into the air, his close friend and professional golfer Adam Hadwin was tackled by security as he ran onto the green to congratulate Taylor.

A strong outing for Tommy Fleetwood looked like he might land his first PGA Tour victory, but it was not to be.

“I played great today, even though I missed some chances, if you like, on those playoff holes,” Fleetwood said.

“Yeah, it was close. I just have to take the positives from it and start practicing tomorrow. I got a major next week. So can’t dwell on it too much.”

Taylor finished strong on the last day with eight birdies and two bogeys, with a crucial birdie on the 18th to send it to a playoff finish.

Fleetwood had the chance to win in regulation play on the 18th, but failed to capitalise, missing the birdie for a par.

English duo Tyrell Hatton and Aaron Rai narrowly missed out on joining Taylor and Fleetwood in the playoff, finishing one stroke short of the pair.

Joining them on 16 under par was CT Pan, while Rory McIlroy finished five strokes behind.

Matt Fitzpatrick was one shot off the clubhouse lead jointly held by fellow Englishman Aaron Rai midway through the first round of the Canadian Open.

A week before his US Open defence, Fitzpatrick began his bid for a third career PGA Tour title in steady fashion with a four-under-par 68 at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club.

The 28-year-old, having started on the back nine, rolled in five birdies before a bogey on his penultimate hole of the day – the 352 par-four eighth – left him one shot behind the early leaders, which included Rai.

Rai had looked in all sorts of trouble after dropping four shots in three successive holes from the third to slump to three over, but he turned things round in remarkable fashion.

After recording birdies on the seventh and eighth to reach the turn on one over, the 28-year-old from Wolverhampton then picked up further shots on the 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th – where he came close to making a hole in one – 16th and 18th to move to five under.

That left him in a four-way share of first place with American pair Chesson Hadley and Justin Lower, and home hope Corey Conners.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy, whose build-up to the tournament saw him fielding questions about the shock merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, was one under after an eventful opening 71 that included five birdies and four bogeys.

The world number three is seeking a hat-trick of victories at the Canadian Open following triumphs in 2019 and 2022, with the tournament having been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.