AUGUSTA, Ga. — Nick Taylor spent the week at Augusta National doing what he has learned is necessary to survive the Masters: asking questions, listening closely and trying not to force anything. After missing the cut at eight straight majors before the 2025 Masters, Taylor made it to the weekend and finished tied for 40th, a return that left him searching for more ways to understand the course.
“That’s what, maybe with experience, you learn over time,” Taylor said of the patience Augusta demands. “Other golf courses, you can try to hook one around and if you over-hook you might get lucky and still hit the green and have a chance at birdie. Here, the likelihood of that is pretty much zero — but you only get in more trouble because you’re trying to force things a little bit.”
That lesson has been reinforced by the people around him. Taylor played with Jordan Spieth last week in Texas and picked Spieth’s brain throughout the round. On Tuesday at Augusta National, he asked Mike Weir a handful of questions about course management, leaning on the 2003 Masters champion who has long taken the Canadian contingent under his wing and now spearheads the Tuesday morning Canadian game at Augusta.
The timing matters because Taylor arrives in 2025 with a modest start to his PGA Tour season, one missed cut and one top-25 finish before the Masters article was written. His best result so far has been a tie for 24th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and Augusta has remained one of the few places where experience can still change the conversation quickly. Taylor said the key there is simple: not to do anything stupid.
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He is not alone in thinking Canada may have a chance to matter more this month. Corey Conners came in after back-to-back top-15 finishes on the PGA Tour and said his “body, mind are feeling good and the golf game is feeling good. Got in some good work at home last week.” He added that he was “definitely excited to be here and feel like my game is in a good spot,” calling Augusta a course he loves because of how it sets up.
Conners has reason to believe it. He had four top-10 finishes in his last six starts at Augusta National, tied for eighth at the Masters last year and skipped the Valero Texas Open last week to get extra rest. He said his iron play has been sharp, and that it has helped him on a course where everything has to work to contend.
That combination — Weir’s guidance, Taylor’s growing comfort and Conners’ form — gives Canada a stronger case than usual at a Masters that feels more open than many recent editions. Taylor is still learning Augusta National, but after the way he finally found the weekend in 2025, he knows the next step is not more force. It is restraint.
