The Masters starts Thursday. The 2020 version will have definite Canadian flavour. For only the third time ever, there will be a record four Canadians competing. The list includes 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir of Sarnia, Ontario; Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; Nick Taylor of Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ontario.
Weir qualified by being a past Masters champion. Taylor is in the field because he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. Conners qualified because he qualified for the 2019 Tour Championship in Atlanta. While Hadwin booked his ticket to the final major of the year by being in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 2019. Hadwin finished the year in 50th in the world.
On Thursday, Conners is among the first three to tee off at 7 a.m. ET. He will be in a pairing with 2009 United States Open champion Lucas Glover of Greenville, South Carolina, and Cheng-tsung Pan of Taiwan. Hadwin is golfing alongside Americans Kevin Kisner and Scottie Scheffler at 7:22 a.m. ET. Weir will be teeing off with Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello and England’s Matt Wallace at 8:17 a.m. ET. Taylor will be the last Canadian to tee off at 11:05 a.m. ET. He will be golfing alongside South Africa’s Justin Harding and Japan’s Shigo Imahira.
The other two times four Canadians were at the Masters were in 1964 and 1965. In 1964, the four Canadians were Al Balding of Toronto, Ontario, Gary Cowan of Kitchener, Ontario, Stan Leonard of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Nick Weslock of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The only Canadian to make the cut was Cowan, as he was tied for 25th place at three-over-par. However, Leonard did not receive any prize money because he was an amateur.
In 1965, the four Canadians at the Masters were Cowan, Leonard, Weslock, and George Knudson of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Knudson was the top Canadian in 10th place at even par.
