Nick Taylor became the first Canadian ever to win the Ben Hogan Award Monday
Tue, 25 May 2010 11:14:06
By Brad Ziemer
Abbotsford's Nick Taylor won't turn pro until later this year, but he's already got his first 2011 PGA Tour sponsor's exemption in his back pocket.
Taylor won the prestigious Ben Hogan Award -- collegiate golf's version of the Heisman Trophy -- in a ceremony Monday night at historic Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
And immediately after hoisting the Hogan Trophy and making his acceptance speech, the University of Washington senior and Ledgeview Golf Club product was handed a sponsor's exemption to next year's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial by tournament chairman Chuck Scherer.
Taylor beat out fellow Hogan Award finalists Bud Cauley of the University of Alabama and Russell Henley of the University of Georgia.
The Ben Hogan Award is presented annually to the top men's NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer considering all collegiate and amateur competitions during the past 12-month period.
"This feels pretty surreal right now," Taylor said after receiving the award. "It's going to take some time to sink in. But it feels pretty good."
Taylor's parents, Jay and Darlene Taylor, and his Washington coach, Matt Thurmond, all attended Monday's dinner.
"I think I was more nervous than he was, I am still shaking," Thurmond said. "Everything that Mr. Hogan represents -- that if you really want to accomplish something and are willing to work for it, you can do anything -- Nick Taylor is the perfect example of what Mr. Hogan represents. He is a guy who doesn't have any special physical talent, but he just works and just tries so hard. I have never seen a player who competes with so much passion."
Taylor was the world's top-ranked amateur for a significant stretch of 2009. He recently was named Pac-10 co-player of the year for the second consecutive year and finished in the top 10 in nine of 11 events during the 2009-10 college season.
Taylor tied for ninth at the 2009 NCAA Championship, finished as low amateur at 2009 U.S. Open, where he tied for 36th, won the 2009 Sahalee Players' Championship, earned comedallist honours at the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and advanced to the championship match. He also finished in the -10 at the Canadian Amateur ( T-3) and Copa de las Americas (8th) and tied for 34th at the Nationwide Tour's 2009 Children's Hospitals Invitational.
