Sammamish, WA (July 3, 2009)--Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, BC and a member of the University Washington golf team captured the title at the 2009 Sahalee Players Championship. Taylor, the world’s #4 player in the amateurgolf.com/Golfweek Player Ranmings, used a solid final round of 1-over par 73 to win by one stroke over Australian National Team member Daniel Nisbet of Caboolture, Australia.

The two players came to the difficult 211 yard par-3 17th hole locked at 4-under par overall. Taylor hit a beautiful shot right over the flag that ended up 40 feet from the hole. Nisbet followed Taylor by stiffing it to 6-feet. Taylor, who had struggled with his putter much of the week, said to his caddie “I’m due to make one” as they approached the 17th green. He would proceed to drain the birdie putt while Nisbet pushed his 6-footer off to the right.

Taylor, holding a one stroke lead on the 18th green, calmly made another birdie, holing a 15-foot putt to seal the victory at 6-under par 282. Nisbet also made birdie on 18 holing his 7-foot birdie putt to finish one back at 5-under par 283.

54-hole leader Eddie Olson of Aptos, CA struggled much of the day after making a birdie at the first hole. Olson holed out an amazing flop shot on the 18th hole to finish the round in style and take home sole possession of third place at 4-under par 284.

Taylor joins an impressive list of past Sahalee Players Championship champions that includes Daniel Summerhays, Kyle Stanley, Ryan Moore, Arron Oberholser, Jason Gore, and Casey Martin. Sahalee Country Club has played host to the 1998 PGA Championship, 2002 World Golf Championship – NEC Invitational, and will once again host a major professional event with the U.S. Senior Open coming to the club in 2010.

The Pacific Northwest Golf Association teamed up with Sahalee Country Club 10 years ago to create the “Western Swing” with the PNGA Men’s Amateur Championship. The Sahalee Players Championship is the first leg of the swing, with the PNGA Men’s Amateur being played the week after. The two events were paired together to give amateur golfers in the west an opportunity to play two major national amateur championships without having to travel to the east coast.

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