St. Andrews, Scotland (Courtesy of the R&A) - Canada’s Nick Taylor, a member of Team Canada, was presented with the Mark H McCormack Medal last weekend. The Medal was presented by Steve Sander, on behalf of The R&A, during a special ceremony at the University of Washington, where Taylor is in his senior year. The award recognizes the top-ranked golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at the end of the amateur season and following the European and US Amateur Championships.
The 22-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., had a truly outstanding season. Taylor ascended five places to the top of the R&A’s Ranking in June after heading the U.S. Open sectional qualifying at Tumble Creek, Washington, at which the First Team All-American finished two shots clear of the largely professional field, and claimed one of the two places available.
He maintained that form in the U.S. Open itself at Bethpage State Park. In the process of achieving an impressive 36th-place finish – the low amateur – on the formidable Black Course, Taylor shot a second-round 65, the joint-lowest score by an amateur in the Championship’s history, to make the cut in tied-seventh position.
He followed his Bethpage performance with a win at his next tournament, the Salahee Players Championship in Sammamish, Washington, before finishing runner-up at the U.S. Public Links Championship at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma.
By the end of his junior year at the University of Washington he had rewritten the school’s record book, becoming Washington’s first Pac-10 Player of the Year, registering the most collegiate victories in a single year (4), the lowest 54-hole total (198) and the lowest third-round score (63).
Taylor topped the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 21 weeks before being displaced by France’s Victor Dubuisson. Taylor is currently ranked third behind Dubuisson and Italy’s Matteo Manassero.
THE MARK H MCCORMACK MEDA
The Mark H McCormack Medal is awarded to the player ranked number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking after the European Amateur Championship or US Amateur Championship, whichever is the last to conclude. The award is named after Mark H McCormack, the late founder of sports marketing company IMG and an avid supporter of amateur golf.
ABOUT THE R&A
Based in St Andrews, The R&A is golf's governing body and organiser of The Open Championship. The R&A is committed to working for golf and operates with the consent of 136 organisations from the amateur and professional game and on behalf of over 30 million golfers in 123 countries.
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/teamcanada.
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.
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