PNGA Announces 2008 Players of the Year

The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) has announced their 2008 Player of the Year recipients. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, BC received the Men's Player of the Year award; Erynne Lee of Silverdale, Wash. received both the Women's and the Junior Girls' awards; Kent Brown of Colville, Wash. received the Senior Men's; Jackie Little of Port Alberni, B.C., received the Senior Women's; and Cameron Peck of Olympia, Wash. the Junior Boys'.

Nick Taylor, a junior at the University of Washington, finished third in the Pacific Coast Amateur, second in the World Amateur Championship, second in the NCAA West Regional and second in the NCAA National Championship. He was the Sectional medalist in qualifying for the U.S. Open. He made the Round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur, and was the low amateur in the PGA Tour's Canadian Open. Taylor is No. 1 in the Canadian National Order of Merit, and No. 1 in the British Columbia Order of Merit.

At age 15, Erynne Lee has been awarded both the Women's and Junior Girls' honor. She was a semifinalist at the U.S. Women's Amateur at Eugene Country Club, was the Local Qualifier Medalist in making it into the U.S. Women's Open, had five top-five finishes in AJGA events (including two victories) and was selected to play in the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup. Lee's outstanding season was also recognized by the Washington State Golf Association, which awarded her the Player of the Year honor in both the Women's and Junior Girls' categories.

Kent Brown won the PNGA Senior Public Links (for the second consecutive year) and the WSGA Senior Men's Amateur, and finished third at the PNGA Mid-Amateur. He also finished third in the Senior Oregon Open.

Jackie Little won six championships this season - the PNGA Senior Women's Amateur, the B.C. Women's Amateur and Mid-Amateur, the B.C. Zone 6 Women's Amateur and Senior Women's Amateur, and the RCGA Royale National Senior Women's Amateur. She was also the Local medalist qualifier for the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur, where she eventually made it to Round 16.

Perhaps the easiest choice was Cameron Peck, who had a remarkable summer. Peck won the U.S. Junior Amateur in record-setting fashion, and also won the AJGA HP Junior Boys and the AJGA FootJoy Invitational. In winning these three events, he holds the titles of three of the top five junior tournaments in the world. He also played in the U.S. Amateur and the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship, and was selected to play in the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup. He was named the AJGA Rolex Player of the Year, and is No. 1 in the POLO/AJGA Junior Golf Ranking.

The PNGA Player of the Year candidates are nominated by the various state and provincial golf associations that comprise the PNGA (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington), and are selected by a vote of the PNGA Championship Committee and members of the Northwest Golf Media Association. The awards will be presented at the PNGA Annual Meeting in spring 2009. For additional details, visit www.thepnga.org.