BC's Nick Taylor moves to #1 spot on the Royal & Ancient's World Amateur Golf Rankings and wins the Mark H McCormack Medal

British Columbia’s Nick Taylor is the new World Amateur Golf Ranking Number One, leaping five places to the top spot after an exceptional performance at the US Open sectional qualifying. The 21-year-old from Abbotsford finished two shots ahead of the field at the Suncadia Resort, carding a two-round total of 6-under-par 136. Only two spots were available to the 36 competitors and the First Team All-American showed his stuff to qualify for the second year in succession.

This season, the University of Washington junior has rewritten his school’s record book, registering the most victories in a single year (4), the lowest 54-hole total (198), the lowest third-round score (63) and becoming Washington’s first Pac-10 Player of the Year. He has finished in the top-ten in eight of his eleven college tournaments played this year.

Fellow Canadian, Matt Hill, occupies the number two spot with last week’s number one, Morgan Hoffmann, slipping two places to third.

Taylor tees off tomorrow at the 109th playing of the U.S. Open June 18-21 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.

BC's Nick Taylor wins the Mark H McCormack Medal

(01 Sep, 2009) - Canada’s Nick Taylor will become the third recipient of the Mark H McCormack Medal, the award given by The R&A to 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, British Columbia, has had a truly outstanding season. Taylor ascended five places to the top of the Ranking in June after heading the US 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.

Nick Taylor receives the medal for the Low Amateur at the 2009 US OpenHe maintained his form in the US Open itself at the Bethpage State Park. In the process of achieving an impressive 36th-place finish – the low amateur – on Bethpage’s 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 US Public Links Championship at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma.

Having only just completed his junior year at the University of Washington he has 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 has topped the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 13 Weeks.

16-year-old Italian, Matteo Manassero, who this year became the youngest-ever winner of The Amateur Championship as well as becoming an Open Championship Silver Medalist, finished runner-up to Taylor as the world number two.