Team Canada’s Nick Taylor and Matt Hill 1st and 2nd in World Amateur Rankings

Oakville, Ont. (RCGA) - National Amateur Team members Nick Taylor and Matt Hill are currently ranked 1st and 2nd respectively on the Royal and Ancient’s World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Nick Taylor, who was sixth on the rankings last week, climbed into the top spot after he fired a 6-under par 136 over 36 holes to win the US Open sectional qualifier event in Roslyn, Wash. The Abbotsford, B.C. native is set to tee-off at the 2009 US Open Championship Thursday at Bethpage State Park (Black Course) in Farmingdale, NY.

Matt Hill has remained in the number two position since his win at the NCAA Men’s Division I Championship on May 29, 2009. The Bright’s Grove, Ont. native was also awarded the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, given annually since 1988 to the best college players in NCAA Division I, II and III, prior to the final round of The Memorial tournament on June 7, 2009.

The complete list of World Amateur Golf Rankings is available online: http://wagr.randa.org/

ABOUT THE RCGA NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
The RCGA National Team Program incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and world-class competition. The RCGA allocates over $1 million of its resources annually to the National Team program, encompassing strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and technique development. Players who are selected to the National Amateur and National Developmental Teams represent Canada at six to 10 internationally-sanctioned golf competitions throughout the year. The intent of this comprehensive program is to aid Canada’s top up-and-coming amateur players in all areas of their development, helping Canada produce the best golfers in the world.

Team Canada, the pinnacle of the RCGA’s High Performance Program, provides access to world class resources including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management, equipment, elite competitive opportunities and builds on the support that team members have received in their development years from their family, member clubs, personal coaches, university programs and provincial golf associations.

The RCGA’s High Performance Program and Team Canada are proudly sponsored by Titleist, Foot-Joy and Under Armour.

For more information about Team Canada or to make a donation towards the development of Canada’s future golf stars, please visit www.rcga.org.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA’s mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships showcase the best in Canadian golf.

For further information on what the RCGA is doing to support golf in your community please visit www.rcga.org.