As the PGA Tour begins its new season this week, hope springs again that Canadian men will perform well.
This year, as with 2025, there will be seven full-time Canadian golfers on the PGA Tour. There are some veterans, a couple of raw rookies, and one player who is looking to find his lost game.
As the tour gets underway this week in Hawaii at the Sony Open, here’s a look at the stories surrounding the Canadian contingent.
How will Canadian veterans play in 2026?
There are four stalwarts returning to the Tour, all after solid 2025 seasons.
Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor and Mackenzie Hughes are all set to tee it up with high but reachable goals for 2026.
Conners is the highest ranked of the group, entering the year in 30th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He finished last year ranked fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, with seven top-10 finishes. He has missed just one cut in his past 50 starts, coincidentally coming at last year’s Sony Open.
If there is a downside to all this great play, it’s that the pride of Listowel, Ont., hasn’t been able to get back to the winner’s circle for the past two seasons. He has just two PGA Tour wins to his credit – both came at the Valero Texas Open, with the second one happening in 2023. Since then, he’s been close but unable to nab No. 3.
Winning on the PGA Tour is hard, but Conners has enough game that he should be able to notch more victories, including majors.
Taylor Pendrith didn’t get a victory in 2025 although he played steady golf, ending the year with four finishes in the top 25.
There was one eyebrow-raising stat that may indicate where he needs to improve this season, and that’s on the greens. In 2024, he ended the year fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting. Last year that dropped to 97th.
Nick Taylor starts the 2026 season as the defending champion at the Sony Open and also as the most consistent Canadian when it comes to winning. The victory in Hawaii last year marked the third consecutive season that he’s been in the winner’s circle, and the fifth title of his career.
This year, he not only wants to keep his winning streak alive, but also has his eyes focused on a spot on the Presidents Cup team.
Two years ago, he played for Canada at the Olympics, ticking that off his to-do list. But he failed to make the International team, admitting that he tried too hard to get on that squad. This time around, he hopes his solid play leads to a place on captain Geoff Ogilvy’s side and an end to the long and frustrating drought for the Internationals.
Mackenzie Hughes is also looking to step up his game and build some consistency, something that’s eluded him in the past. In 2025, he posted four top-10 finishes including a playoff loss to Ryan Fox at the Procore Championship. But he also missed the cut in 10 events.
His off-season work has been focused on building some simplicity in his swing, trying to even out the finishes. His goal is to get back in the win column more often and also be a part of the International Team at the Presidents Cup.
Adam Svensson managed to remain on the PGA Tour but he took the long route to make it. He missed the cut in 15 tournaments and ended the year 167th on the FedEx Cup list standings. He managed to retain his playing privileges by finishing in third at the qualifying school, a long shot that came in for the Surrey, B.C., product.
To shape up his game, he’ll need to drastically improve his putting. He ended the year in 173rd spot in Strokes Gained: Putting.
What About the Canadians making it to the PGA Tour for the first time?
Two Canadian golfers will make their debuts as PGA Tour players this season: Sudarshan Yellamaraju and A.J. Ewart. They are the first new Canadian players to make the tour since Pendrith in 2021.
Yellamaraju got his spot on the big tour by finishing 20th on the Korn Ferry Tour, while Ewart, who played PGA Tour Americas in 2025, won the qualifying school. They will begin their PGA Tour careers this week at the Sony Open.
Where will Adam Hadwin play?
Hadwin is not in a great place after his struggles in 2025. He missed the cut in 11 starts and only finished inside the top 25 three.
He is expected to get approximately five to seven starts on the PGA Tour through various means and has full access on the Korn Ferry Tour.
How many Canadians are qualified for the Masters?
So far, three Canadians are guaranteed spots in the field in Augusta in April: Conners, by finishing inside the top 12 at last year’s Masters; Taylor, for making it to the 2025 Tour Championship; and Mike Weir, as a past champion.
There are still ways the other Canadian golfers can qualify, the easiest being to win a tournament.
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