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Taylor & Stanley Acquitting Themselves Well at Bethpage
Regardless of where they end up in the 2009 U.S. Open, two amateurs from the Pacific Northwest have played extremely well at the rain-wracked site of the year's second major championship, Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Nick Taylor, a 21-year-old senior-to-be at the University of Washington and a native of Abbottsford, B.C., was 2-under par through the first 36 holes with rounds of 73 and 65 and was on the first page of the leaderboard for a brief time. Kyle Stanley, a junior at Clemson and native of Gig Harbor, Wash., began the Open with rounds of 71 and 69 and stood at 7-over par through two-thirds of his third round.
Taylor and Stanley were among 15 amateurs in this year's Open field, the most since 18 competed in 1980 and '81. They were two of only three who made the cut of 4-over; the other is former Virginia Tech player Drew Weaver.
With his 65 in the second round Taylor matched the best score by an amateur in U.S. Open history, equaling the previous mark set by James McHale in 1947 and James Simons in 1971. After 36 holes he was 2 under and tied for seventh, six shots behind leader Ricky Barnes.
"It's a good feeling to be able to make the cut and play the weekend," said Taylor, who won four tournaments during the 2008-09 season for the Huskies and was a finalist for the Ben Hogan award, signifying the nation's best college player. "You know, I'm a couple under par, have really no expectations . . . so just go out and play as well as I can and not have any pressure out there for the most part."
This is the second time Taylor qualified for the U.S. Open; in 2008 he missed the cut by three shots. One of this year's Open leaders, Mike Weir, a fellow Canadian, has been impressed with Taylor's maturity.
"I'm not surprised at all," said Weir, who practiced alongside Taylor at Black earlier in the week. "He's got a great head on his shoulders. Impressed with him and hopefully he keeps going. He's got a great future."
Taylor, who said he will return for his final year at the UW, was slated to play in a Royal Canadian Golf Association event in Toronto on Monday following the U.S. Open, but because of the dicey weather conditions, which may call for the event to be completed on Monday or even Tuesday, he may have to cancel. He thinks the RCGA will understand if he can't make it. "If I miss that," Taylor said, "I won't be disappointed."
Stanley will turn pro after the Open and, based on his collegiate resume, looks to be ready to make the leap from the amateur to the professional ranks. Besides being the only Clemson golfer in history to finish in the top 10 at three different NCAA national events, Stanley was the second Tiger ever to win the Ben Hogan award. Awarded the title of "best collegiate golfer" in 2009, Stanley joined D.J. Trahan, with whom he was paired through the first two rounds of this year's Open, who won it in 2002.
Stanley was named a first-team All-American as a freshman and a junior, and was named to the NCAA's All-Nicklaus team. He finished as the runner-up in the NCAA Championships twice, in 2007 and this year, losing by just two shots to Jamie Lovemark of Southern Cal two years ago and to Matt Hill of NC State in 2009.
