Taylor, Scherlock - Canada's Amateurs Of The Year

Taylor, selected this fall as the PNGA Player of the Year, toped the National Order of Merit standings after a stellar season that saw him emerge as the Sectional qualifying Medalist in the U.S Open, as well as tie for 53rd at the RBC Canadian Open. The 21-year old Team Canada member also earned individual runner-up honours at the NCAA Division 1 finals and the World Amateur Team Championships and made it into the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur.

Sherlock, a junior studying business at the University of Denver, elevated her game to yet another level in 2008, winning the CN Canadian Women's Tour event in Winnipeg and the Sunbelt Conference Championship, while continuing to hone her skills on the Team Canada for a third successive year.

The 21-year old also finished second at the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship; managed a tie for fifth at the NCAA Division 1 finals; was named a Duramed FUTURES Tour NGCA Division I All-American for the second consecutive season; and was a member of Canada's World Amateur team who finished fourth at the World Amateur Team Championships in Australia.

Rounding out the top five on the men's Order of Merit are Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, B.C., who won the B.C. Junior Boys and Men's Amateur Championships, the B.C. Boys High School crown and the Callaway World Junior title; Calgary native Jordan Irwin who was named to the All-Conference USA First Team and Canada's World Amateur team; 17-year old Julien Goulet of St Roch de l'Achigan, Que., who won the Graham Cooke Invitational Junior Championship; and 2008 Canadian Men's Amateur Champion Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont.

Rounding out the top five in women's national rankings are 2008 B.C. Women's Amateur Champion Kira Meixner of Richmond, B.C., 2008 Quebec Women's Amateur champion Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Windsor, Que., Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., who won two CN Canadian Women's Tour events and Kirby Dreher of Fort St. John, B.C., who won the final CN Canadian Women's Tour event of the season. All five ladies also competed at the 2008 CN Canadian Women's Open in Ottawa.

The National Order of Merit standings recognize season-long achievements and were established to identify Canada's top amateur golfers. For full Order of Merit standings and points breakdown, visit www.rcga.org/orderofmerit.

Top 10 Women's and Men's 2008 National Orders of Merit:

2008 National Women's Order of Merit
Stephanie Sherlock, Barrie, ON 1750.00
Kira Meixner, Richmond, BC 1522.00
Maude Aimee Leblanc, Windsor, QC 1517.50
Sue Kim, Langley, BC 1357.10
Kirby Dreher, Fort St.John, BC 1059.00
Sara-Maude Juneau, Fossambault, QC 1032.50
Caroline Kim, Port Coquitlam, BC 763.00
Jennifer Kirby, Paris, ON 593.38
Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Toronto, ON 581.25
Kristy McLaughlin, Wasaga Beach, ON 577.50

2008 National Men's Order of Merit
Nick Taylor, Abbotsford, BC 1410.00
Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, BC 979.00
Jordan Irwin, Calgary, AB 946.00
Julien Goulet, St Roch de l'Achigan, QC 745.25
Cam Burke, New Hamburg, ON 686.00
Dave Bunker, Woodbridge, ON 623.75
Graham Hill, Brights Grove, ON 584.00
Scott Stiles, Calgary, AB 570.00
Adam Hadwin, Abbotsford, BC 524.50
David Markle, Shelburne, ON 484.00

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA's mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, CN Future Links, Canada's national junior golf program, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada's most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women's Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships showcase the best in Canadian golf.
For further RCGA information visit www.rcga.org.