NEWTOWN SQUARE, Penn. — It’s been a similar kind of season for the majority of Canadian contingent who are in the field this week at the PGA Championship: everyone feels close, but none of the big names have made a big splash.
With springtime in full bloom, Corey Conners, Nick Taylor and Taylor Pendrith are all hoping this PGA Championship is the tournament that kicks off a tidy stretch of results as they gun for the FedExCup playoffs.
But while that experienced triumvirate continues to look for four-round breakthroughs, rookie Sudarshan Yellamaraju has been the best of the Canadian bunch in 2026. Yellamaraju, who is making his major debut this week, is the top-ranked Canadian in the FedExCup standings. He’s notched six top-20 finishes, highlighted by a tie for fifth at The Players Championship.
The group of Conners, Pendrith and Taylor have six top-20s combined.
“I’ve just been trying to play the best golf I can,” Yellamaraju said Tuesday.
Conners, Canada’s top-ranked golfer, owns the third-longest streak of made cuts among active players at major championships — only Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele (the previous two PGA Championship winners) hold longer streaks.
Still, Conners has had an uncharacteristic start to his campaign.
“I haven’t been as consistent or steady,” Conners admitted. “It feels like the game has felt different from day-to-day more so this year than other years and certainly working hard to steady the ship a bit.
“(It’s just) golf — leaving the course a lot of days thinking, ‘Man, this is a funny game.’ I feel like I’m so close to having a great round and then walking off the course I’m a little bit pissed off at the mediocre stuff. It always feels like it’s close.”
Taylor has had the steadiest season, results-wise, of the veteran trio with three top-15 finishes, including in back-to-back weeks (both at signature events) heading into the PGA Championship. Taylor was trending towards locking up his best result at a major through 54 holes at The Masters before struggling Sunday at Augusta National.
The Abbotsford, B.C., native sits in the top 25 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: tee to green, but 120th in strokes gained: off the tee. That’s something that will need to be tightened up if he wants to have success at Aronimink Golf Club.
“My recipe at tougher tournaments is just keeping it in play,” Taylor told Sportsnet. “My iron play is a strength so hopefully I can lean on that and hopefully just make some putts.”
Taylor told Sportsnet that prior to the Cadillac Championship, where he finished tied for ninth, he switched back to an old putter he had been using for years before he tried something new in 2026.
“Bringing back old stuff is a good rejuvenation,” Taylor said with a smile. “It’s nice coming in off two nice weeks and I’m hoping to ride that momentum.”
Pendrith, meanwhile, returns to the PGA Championship after a tie for fifth at this major last year. With that result, he became the first Canadian male to notch a top-five finish at a major championship in 20 years, with Mike Weir in 2005 being the last.
While this is, of course, a completely new venue for 2026, Pendrith said Aronimink suits his eye and he said he feels he can play well.
“Knowing that I can compete with the best at a major is a nice feeling,” Pendrith told Sportsnet. “It’s a completely new week but a challenge I’m looking forward to.”
The PGA Championship is the lone major that Pendrith is confirmed in the field for this year after some early-season struggles — at least on the results side of things. Pendrith had his sports psychologist, Dr. Leslie TooGood, come out to the PGA for a multi-day visit.
“It’s been kind of frustrating the last couple months,” Pendrith said. “I felt like I’ve had rounds where I’m playing well but haven’t closed them out. I had some putter struggles for a few weeks that have gotten better the last couple of weeks. I’m feeling more and more comfortable with (the putter) which is good. Ball striking has been good, I’m driving it nicely, I’ve just got to put all aspects of the game together.”
That’s a common refrain from most of the Canadian contingent for this week at the PGA Championship. The rookie is as eager as ever to keep his momentum going, while the veterans are looking for a special spark at the second major of the year.
“(Aronimink) is just tricky — and you expect that at a major,” Taylor said. “But I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
