Canada's Nick Taylor gets Masters Mulligan after COVID-19 tainted 1st experience

Nick Taylor is happy to be getting a Mulligan on his first Masters appearance.

The Abbotsford, B.C., native made his one and only appearance at Augusta National Golf Club in 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Masters was held in November that year, there were no fans and players could only have one person in the bubble with them at the course.

Taylor will tee it up at the first major of the men's golf season on Thursday, but this time, his whole family will be there and he'll be able to soak in the "true" Augusta experience.

"A lot of my early experiences of watching golf, like Mike Weir winning the Masters in 2003, I watched that with my dad and my brother in the basement," said Taylor from his home in Arizona. "The Masters always felt like the start of the golf year back home in Canada.

Taylor was particularly excited to have his children participate in the Par 3 contest, a Masters tradition where the golfers play the short course with their families and their get kids decked out in Augusta's distinctive all-white caddie coveralls. His four-year-old son Charlie and 11-month-old daughter Harper had already been fitted for theirs.

"I think just the whole experience of the week, to be there and have it be a quote-unquote normal Masters will be something I've obviously looked forward to ever since I began playing golf," said Taylor.

"After 2020 was one of those where I hoped it wasn't my only experience but, obviously, you never know, so being able to say that I've had two very distinctly different Masters experiences will be pretty cool."

Another highlight of the Masters experience is getting to play alongside Weir, from Brights Grove, Ont., the only Canadian to win the Masters or any men's major.

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