Playing through pain is one thing, but another is having a physio session on the course while competing in a PGA Tour signature event. And that’s what Nick Taylor needed in his second round at the $20 million Cadillac Championship.

Taylor received an on-course physiotherapy session after suffering from back issues mid-round. The PGA Tour captured the moment, captioning it: “You don’t see every day.” Taylor himself responded in the comments, writing, “Good stuff, thanks. No happy endings this time, though.” His comment suggests that the treatment did not fully solve his problem.

Despite the setback, the Canadian walked off the course at 8 under par through 36 holes, sitting inside the clubhouse lead after shooting a 2-under 70. Nick Taylor was 3 under through nine holes, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 eighth, but slipped to 1 over on the back nine. A drive into the water on the 18th could have derailed everything, but he holed the bogey putt to escape with minimal damage.

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Nick Taylor indeed kept the spirit high, and his toughness is even more noticeable when you consider what other PGA Tour pros have done in kind of similar situations. Collin Morikawa withdrew from The PLAYERS Championship due to distress in his back. Rory McIlroy pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to back muscle spasms.

“A great save on 18, obviously hitting the drive in the water there, and walking away with a bogey was a good save,” Nick Taylor said after the round.

The 5x PGA Tour winner has always played on Tour without a significant injury-related absence. Taylor spends much time at the gym during the football season to maintain his body for the competition.

Fellow Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju added to the storyline, sitting at 4 under after a 66, despite dropping two shots across his final two holes. With Cameron Young still on course and capable of extending his lead further, Taylor will need his back holding up over the weekend to mount a serious challenge for his first win of 2026.

This is far from the first time a back problem has tested a Tour player’s ability to stay competitive deep into a tournament.

Times when PGA Tour pros fought through pain

Tiger Woods has dealt with back problems repeatedly between 2018 and 2019, managing individual rounds through back spasms before fading late in events, a pattern that eventually led to multiple surgeries.

Jason Day’s 2015 U.S. Open remains the starkest example. Day had a severe case of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), and it caused him to collapse on his final hole (9th) during the second round at Chambers Bay. Despite severe dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, Day managed to finish his round, returned to compete, and tied for 9th. 

For now, at the Cadillac Championship, Young is four shots ahead of Nick Taylor with two rounds remaining. Scrambling can keep a player alive, but closing out a tournament takes full-speed swings and aggressive shot-making. Whether Taylor will be able to fight through in the coming 36 holes on the PGA Tour remains to be seen.