Nick Taylor to represent Team Canada in Argentina

Team Canada members Matt Hill of Bright’s Grove, Ont., Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. and Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont. have been selected to represent Canada at the 2010 Copa de las Americas being held January 6-9, 2010 at Buenos Aires Golf Club and Olivos Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Copa de las Americas is a biennial amateur team competition for countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.  There are three 72-hole competitions – men’s, women’s and overall – with 18 holes played on each of the four days.

Canada has enjoyed tremendous success at the Copa de las Americas since the event’s inception in 2003. Canada won the overall team championship in 2003 and 2005, the men’s team titles in 2003 and 2005 as well as the women’s title in 2003.

Canada also played host to the 2007 Copa de las Americas at Beacon Hall Golf Club in Aurora, Ont., where the team of Keven Fortin-Simard of Roberval, Que., Graham Hill of Bright’s Grove, Ont., Laura Matthews of Essex, Ont. and Stephanie Sherlock finished third overall. The men’s team finished fourth while the women’s squad finished second.

Accompanying the four-member team to Argentina as Team Canada’s Co-Captains are men’s head coach, Henry Brunton, and women’s head coach, Derek Ingram.

The venues for the 2010 Copa de las Americas – Buenos Aires Golf Club and Olivos Golf Club – are the same two golf courses that will be used during the 2010 World Amateur Team Championships, scheduled to be played in October.

Originally scheduled to be contested in 2009, the Copa de las Americas were rescheduled to 2010 due to the troubled world economy.

Matt Hill, 21, captured eight individual NCAA wins, including six in-a-row as a member of the North Carolina State Wolfpack golf team. He won his regional championship, conference (ACC) championship and the NCAA individual title. For his efforts, Hill was awarded with the Jack Nicklaus award as the NCAA’s top golfer. Hill was also a member of Canada’s winning Four Nations Cup team, won the Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship, tied for third at the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship and made the cut at the PGA TOUR’s AT&T National (T70).

Nick Taylor, 21, finished first at the 2009 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier in Roslyn, WA and went on to 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 R&A’s World Amateur Golf Ranking at the end of each amateur season and following the European and U.S. Amateur Championships.

Jennifer Kirby, 18, claimed a slew of titles across Canada in 2009 including the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship, the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship, the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, the Ontario Junior Girls Championship, the 2009 CN Future Links Pacific Championship and the Toronto Star Women's Amateur Championship. This fall, she also joined the University of Alabama Crimson Tide golf team as a freshman.

Stephanie Sherlock, 22, finished third at this year’s Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship and second at the Ontario Women's Amateur. As a member of the University of Denver golf team, she finished eighth at the East Regional Championship and tied for 11th as an individual at the NCAA Championships.

Other players who have represented Canada at the Copa de las Americas include:

2007: Beacon Hall Golf Club, Aurora, Ont., Canada, June 18-24, 2007

3^rd overall, 4^th men’s team, 2^nd women’s team

Keven Fortin-Simard, Roberval, Que.

Graham Hill, Bright’s Grove, Ont.

Laura Matthews, Essex, Ont.

Stephanie Sherlock, Barrie, Ont.

2005: El Tigre Golf Club, Nueva Vallarta, Mexico, June 22-25, 2005

1^st overall, 1^st men’s team, 3^rd women’s team

Richard Scott, Kingsville, Ont.

James Lepp, Abbotsford, B.C.

Laura Matthews, Essex, Ont.

Lindsay Knowlton, Toronto, Ont.

2003: Rio Mar Country Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, June 25-28, 2003

1^st overall, 1^st men’s team, 1^st women’s team

Peter Laws, Mississauga, Ont.

James Lepp, Abbotsford, B.C.

Laura Matthews, Essex, Ont.

Lisa Meldrum, Montreal, Que.