Relentless Nelly, unassailable records and the RBC Canadian Open
Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.
Nelly Korda finally got her U.S. Open win. She did it in storybook fashion at fabled Riviera Country Club with a birdie on the 71st hole and a shaky par putt on the last to beat Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez in one of the most thrilling finals in recent memory. What are your final thoughts on this year’s U.S. Women’s Open?
Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): It was a great tournament, a further testament to the quality of golf on the LPGA Tour, and a validation of Nelly Korda as the top player of her generation (depending on how one defines “generation”). But, sadly, and for all that, the LPGA just can’t seem to draw flies. I have no idea what the TV ratings were, but I said to my partner when Nelly was approaching a hole on the back nine, “look at that… there can’t be more than 60 people around the green.” 50 years ago, even 25, there were larger galleries following the women, who weren’t nearly as good at golf as they are now. We all know the reason why the galleries are so sparse, and it’s a damn shame, in my view.
Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): Storybook? Nelly Korda showed why she’s the best closer in the game—flushed it when it mattered, then gave us just enough wobble on 18 to spike the heart rate (that putt was ugly). Riviera delivered, the leaderboard was elite, and the drama felt Major. Korda won, outlasted pressure, expectation, and two serious challengers. That’s championship golf, combo of talent, nerves, and a dash of hope (luck).
Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: Riviera was a story going into the tournament and remains as one coming out. Some courses regardless of age stand the test of time and this one does. I loved seeing a ‘bunch-up’ at the end and watching the incredible number of changes in the last 3 holes. I did laugh at the media after round one when they basically wrote Nelly out of the tournament for shooting what they called a high score. Champions are champions for a reason; they produce when they have to! She’s good for golf!
TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): What a great tourney, and a worthy champion. It’s great to see her win the first two and instigate some talk of a Grand Slam. There were many players in the fold on Sunday afternoon, which made for some great tv, so all in all it was a great tourney on a great track. Hopefully the Tour can use this as some momentum moving into the rest of 2026.
Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: If Hull had won it, her post-match comments would have been as memorable as her play. Her immortal line with the F-bomb to describe her attitude at Riviera was a classic. Her Harman-like pre-shot glances at the target — have seen a 13-waggle video of Harman, at least she’s not that bad — were irritating and confusing, but her spirit was contagious. What Korda lacks in excitement she makes up with efficiency — except that last putt. A great Open, but if would have been a lot more fun if Hull had won.
Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine: Relentless efficiency usually wins tournaments. Just ask Scottie Scheffler. It’s not the most exciting brand of golf to watch and must be incredibly frustrating for others competing. Nelly, like Scottie, has applied her own brand of bland efficiency to four wins this year, none more important than last week at Riviera. As many have said, it would have been more fun if Charley Hull had won but as Aesop’s classic fable about the tortoise and the hare teaches us, slow and steady wins the race.
The RBC Canadian Open is on this week at TPC Toronto. The field is led by four players in the World Top 10 and a boat load of others in the Top 50. It’s one of the strongest PGA Tour fields outside of the majors and Signature events and will be a tuneup for next week’s U.S. Open. What’s your favourite storyline for our national championship and who are you picking to win?
Deeks: I’m glad to see so many young Canadian hopefuls playing in the event, as usual. None of them have a chance to win, of course, but inevitably, some obscure young Canadian will have a good round on day one or day two, giving us all some added interest… before someone like J.J. Spaun or Wyndham Clark quietly golfs his ball into the winner’s circle. Nonetheless, I’m going to offer a national pride pick, and choose Mackenzie Hughes as this year’s winner.
Loughry: This year, the field, this field is as good as I’ve ever seen, for over a decade (maybe two). Shout out to TPC Toronto which looks like a good test, and with this field it’s basically a mini-major dress rehearsal. My sneaky pick to win: Viktor Hovland. Ball-striking clinic, tidy enough putter, and he feels due.
Schurman: Recently, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, a Canadian player seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Canadian fans will get a chance to see him play. Other Canadians are having a quiet year except Nick Taylor. With the US Open next week and the Memorial held last week, many top players are resting this week. I’d like to see Sam Burns redeemed for his play-off loss last year.
Rule: It’s so nice to see many top players committing to this event that has so much history. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come in future years, and it can become one of the better events outside of the majors on the Tour each year. My favourite storyline is seeing how the two young Canadians fare in a year when they’ve had some great success. I’m hoping Ewart and Yellamaraju can get hot and be in contention come the weekend. They’ve both had surprisingly successful years, so they deserve a good week in Canada! That being said, they aren’t my favourites to win. I’m going to pick Shane Lowry to win this week, he’d be a popular winner.
Quinn: Until Nick Taylor sunk that 72-footer in 2023, being the top Canuck at the Cdn Open was, as Dan Halldorsen put it, like being the tallest midget. Now that the nation is over that hump, it would be great if late on Sunday afternoon the next Canuck generation got a lot of prime-time coverage, guys like Sudarshan Yellamaraju and A.J. Ewart. Time for the young Canadians to stand tall.
Mumford: Tough to choose between young Canadians and the very strong field of international players. This version of our national open is one of the best fields in recent memory. Hope we can get a crowded leaderboard like last week at the Memorial. Rose, Fleetwood, Lowry and Koepka with a couple of Canadians in the mix would be a great story. Rose by a nose at the finish. I tend to favour the veterans these days.
Every sport has records that they say will never be broken. (Never say never!) Men’s professional golf has two records that seem unassailable: Tiger Woods’ and Sam Snead’s record of career wins (82) and Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major victories. Is either record likely to be broken and if not, why not?
Deeks: I can see the “total victories” being eclipsed one day, but not in my lifetime. Now that Tiger’s career is over, I can’t imagine that anyone will come close to 18 majors, not in my lifetime nor any of my descendants. And for that reason, to add to last week’s answers, Jack is the Greatest of All Time.
Loughry: Never say never as they say, but eighty-two wins? You need Tiger-level dominance plus longevity in a deeper, global field. Eighteen majors? That requires a two-decade heater (maybe three) and perfect timing. Today’s parity, travel, data, and depth make sustained dominance brutally hard. Could someone get hot and chase Jack? Maybe. But both records together feel like trying to catch lightning in a bottle while everyone else has a lightning rod. Or pushing water uphill…. not impossible, just extremely unlikely.
Schurman: There are many golf records that won’t be broken. Nelson’s eleven in a row, eighteen in a season and 65 consecutive top 10 finishes. Sam Snead 358 top ten finishes. Nicklaus has the most Major victories with 18. Nicklaus has the most 2nd place finishes in majors with 19. Nicklaus has the most top 5 finishes in majors with 56. Nicklaus’ most consecutive majors played with 154. Nicklaus has the most consecutive cuts in majors with 39. None of these records will be broken. We just watched one of the most dominant, prolific players in Tiger Woods fall three short of tying Jack. Given the physical demands on a human body to swing at today’s speeds, the travel requirements, the obligations to sponsors and other tours and amounts of money being won, will all shorten careers. I doubt the Tiger/Sam record will fall either.
Rule: I don’t think those records are unassailable, at least not as much as some records in other sports like Cy Young’s 511 wins or Glenn Hall’s 502 consecutive games played in net in the NHL. Those are definitely safe, but there’s even a guy now in Scottie Scheffler who could conceivably challenge those two records on the PGA Tour. I might not say likely, but it’s possible. If one is beaten, let’s say it will be the majors wins, because I don’t think players play enough events to make it easy to reach 82 total wins.
Quinn: The first answer is: no. The second is: money. Even before LIV crowbarred open the PGA Tour’s secret vault, the top guys were making so much that rising stars like Spieth and Thomas had mansions and lifestyles that Snead and Nicklaus could only dream about at that age. There is not enough incentive to even get within shouting distance of 82 wins or 18 Majors — and besides, the competition is so much better and deeper than a generation ago.
Mumford: The math is pretty intimidating. Nobody other than Scheffler or McIlroy looks to be in the running for 82 wins. Rory would need five wins a year for the next ten years just to get close; Scottie four wins a year for fifteen years. By then both are in their mid forties. I just don’t see it happening. At some point the weight of all that cash has to slow them down, not to mention the wear and tear on their bodies. Both players are motivated by legacy, but most career wins seems less important than most majors, and that could be doable for either in the next 10-15 years.
