Sunday, January 10, 2010

Nick Taylor and Stephanie Sherlock Named Canada’s Top Amateur Golfers of 2009

Mitch Sutton and Sue Kim Earn Honours as Canada’s Top Junior Golfers

Oakville, Ont. (RCGA) – For the second year in a row, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. and Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont. are recognized as Canada’s top male and female amateur golfers as the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) announced the final standings for the 2009 National Order of Merit presented by Under Armour.

In the men’s national ranking, 21-year old Taylor tops the list after a stellar season that saw him capture the Low Amateur Medal at the U.S. Open held at Bethpage State Park - Black Course after finishing tied for 36th. He also won the Sahalee Players Championship; was a member of Canada’s champion Four Nations Cup team; was runner-up at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship; and managed a tie for third at the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship.

The University of Washington Husky also tallied three individual victories (Hawai’i-Hilo Intercollegiate, Oregon Duck Invitational, and U.S. Intercollegiate) and a tie for medalist honours at the CordeValle Collegiate. He finished second at the NCAA Regional Championship and the Pac-10 Championship; tied for ninth at the NCAA Championship; and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year as well as a semi-finalist for the prestigious Ben Hogan Award. He also was presented with the Mark H McCormack Medal which recognizes the top-ranked golfer in the Royal and Ancient’s World Amateur Golf Ranking at the end of each amateur season and following the European and U.S. Amateur Championships.

Rounding out the top five on the men’s Order of Merit are NCAA Individual Champion Matt Hill of Bright’s Grove, Ont.; Brady Johnson of Mill Bay, B.C.; two-time Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont.; and Mitchell Evanecz of Red Deer, Alta.

On the women’s side, Sherlock, a senior studying business at the University of Denver, elevated her game to yet another level in 2009 winning the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate Tournament; being named second team All-American for a third successive year; and finishing tied for 11th at the NCAA Championships.

In 2009, while continuing to hone her skills on Team Canada for a fourth successive year, the 22-year old finished third at the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship and second at the Ontario Women's Amateur Championship.

Rounding out the top five in women’s national rankings are Sue Kim of Langley, B.C.; Maude Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que.; reigning Canadian junior girls and Canadian amateur champion Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont.; and Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont.

Mitch Sutton of London, Ont. and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. finished atop the CN Future Links Junior Boy’s and Girl’s Order of Merit to be named Canada’s top junior golfers for the 2009 season.
In 2009, 18-year old Sutton claimed his second consecutive Canadian Junior Boys Championship and finished second at the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship. He was also crowned champion at the Ontario Junior Boys Match Play Championship and the Ontario Men's Better-Ball Championship. Other strong finishes included a tie for eighth at the Ontario Men's Amateur Championship and a tie for third at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship.

Sutton, a member of Team Canada for 2010, joined the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the fall of this year.

Albin Choi of Toronto, Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. and Sam Holland of New Minas, N.S. round out the top five on the junior boys order of merit.

Kim, 18, enjoyed another standout year in 2009 finishing second at the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship; third at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship; tied for fourth at the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship; and fourth at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship.

The Team Canada member was also the top point getter on the 2008 CN Future Links Junior Girls Order of Merit. In the fall of 2009, Kim joined Sherlock as a member of the University of Denver Pioneer golf team.

Rounding out the top five on the 2009 CN Future Links Girls National Orders of Merit is Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont.; Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto; Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City; and Christine Wong of Richmond, B.C.

Kirby, a member of 2010 Team Canada, claimed victory at a slew of tournaments including the Royale Cup Canadian Women’s and Junior Girls Championships as well as the Toronto Star Amateur, the Ontario Amateur and the Ontario Junior. However, the Alabama freshman played in fewer events than those ranking above her on the 2009 Order of Merit.

The following are the Top 10 on the Men’s and Women’s 2009 National Orders of Merit presented by Under Armour:

Men's - Top 10
Nick Taylor, Abbotsford, BC 2065
Matt Hill, Bright's Grove, ON 1770
Brady Johnson, Mill Bay, BC 956.5
Cam Burke, New Hamburg, ON 680
Mitchell Evanecz, Red Deer, AB 601
Marc-Etienne Bussieres, Gatineau, QC 585
Cory Renfrew, Victoria, BC 580
Mitch Sutton, London, ON 525
Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, BC 502.5
Darren Wallace, Langley, BC 495

Women's - Top 10
Stephanie Sherlock, Barrie, ON 1441
Sue Kim, Langley, BC 1256
Maude Aimee LeBlanc, Sherbrooke, QC 1255
Jennifer Kirby, Paris, ON 1119
Nicole Vandermade, Brantford, ON 1081
Sara-Maude Juneau, Fossambault, QC 1051
Kira Meixner, Richmond, BC 982
Megan Chapman, Thornbury, ON 504.5
Caroline Kim, Port Coquitlam, BC 452.5
Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Quebec City, QC 420

The National Men’s and Women’s Order of Merit presented by Under Armour recognize season-long achievements and were established to identify Canada’s top amateur golfers. For full standings and points breakdown, please visit www.rcga.org/orderofmerit.

The following are the Top 10 on the CN Future Links Boys and Girls 2009 National Orders of Merit:

Boys – Top 10
Mitch Sutton, London, ON 3955
Albin Choi, Toronto, ON 3310
Justin Shin, Maple Ridge, BC 3025
Mackenzie Hughes, Dundas, ON 2640
Sam Holland, New Minas, NS 2605
Richard Jung, Toronto, ON 2550
Julien Goulet, St-Roch de l'Achigan, QC 2425
Brandon Ng, Toronto, ON 2362.5
Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, BC 2350
Jesse Gibson, Saskatoon, SK 2330

Girls – Top 10
Sue Kim, Langley, BC 1877.5
Jennifer Kirby, Paris, ON 1700
Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Toronto, ON 1295
Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Quebec City, QC 1111.5
Christine Wong, Richmond, BC 1012
SooBin Kim, Port Coquitlam, BC 973
Michelle Lee, Mississauga, ON 939
A Ram Choi, Surrey, BC 764.3
Jennifer Yang, Coquitlam, BC 739
Kelly Amundrud, Calgary, AB 575.5

The CN Future Links Junior Boy’s and Girl’s Order of Merit recognizes season-long achievements and were established to identify Canada’s top junior golfers. For full standings and points breakdown, please visit www.rcga.org/CNFutureLinksorderofmerit.

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 http://www.rcga.org/

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