Humble Nick Taylor raises bar for Huskies golf

Nick Taylor could stand to be more impressed with himself. He is the top amateur golfer in the world, a two-time co-Pac-10 Player of the Year and the favorite to win college golf's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. If he used his putter to knight people, it wouldn't be too narcissistic.

That's not Taylor's style, however. You could call the University of Washington star low-key, but really, he's no key. A classic Canadian humility belies his incredible ability. The only downside is that, outside of golf circles, he doesn't command the recognition he deserves.

You could pick Taylor out of a lineup with fellow Huskies standouts Quincy Pondexter, Jake Locker and Danielle Lawrie, but that's because he's the rather anonymous one. Nevertheless, he belongs, perhaps even front and center with Lawrie, the dominant pitcher who's about to be a two-time national player of the year. Don't tell Taylor that, though.

"The recognition — I'd probably rather not have it like that," said Taylor, who is from Abbotsford, B.C. "The publicity they all receive is great, and they deserve it, but that's not for me. Do your thing and not be bothered. That's what I get to do."

Taylor is just another goofy guy on a fun-loving team. The Washington men's golf team is in the middle of another great season that includes a dramatic comeback victory at the Pac-10 championships. Golfweek.com ranks the Huskies No. 4 in the nation, and they are the top-seeded team in the West Regional of the NCAA tournament. The regional will be held Thursday through Saturday at the Gold Mountain Golf Course in Bremerton.

Taylor is the best of a deep squad that also features seniors Richard Lee and Darren Wallace and freshmen Chris Williams and Charlie Hughes, and Taylor is also arguably the silliest of the bunch.

"He comes across as quiet, serious, low-key, but that guy is an absolute screw-off," UW men's golf coach Matt Thurmond said. "He's really funny. We have so many videos of him acting up that, if anybody gets a hold of them, they'll have blackmail material for life.

"People don't see that side of him. When I was recruiting Nick, I couldn't get a word out of him when we first talked. But once he gets comfortable, he's a character."

The team saw Taylor's competitive streak after he arrived as a freshman. The players went to Red Robin one day, and Taylor grabbed a pen, looked down at the restaurant's word-search placemats and told a teammate, "Hey, you and me. Let's see who can finish first."

At Washington, Taylor has turned his competiveness and skill into excellence. The past year has been remarkable. Some highlights: Made cut (shot 65 on second day), finished 36th and was the low amateur at the U.S. Open. Won the Sahalee Players Championship. Finished second at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

Taylor is currently No. 1 in the Players World Amateur Ranking. He also held the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings for 21 weeks last year and now sits No. 2.

He played so well last summer that many wondered if he'd return for his senior season. But Taylor barely gave turning pro any thought.

"It wasn't a hard decision," said Taylor, one of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award, which is college golf's version of the Heisman Trophy. "That's not my personality. I'm not dying to get out on the PGA Tour and travel 30 weeks a year. Maybe it's just me. In high school, I wasn't in a rush to pick a college and get to school. I've never been a guy who's in a huge rush to get to the next level."

Taylor has won four tournaments in his college career, but he has yet to win as a senior. Still, he is as happy as he has ever been with his game. He has finished in the top 10 in 9 of 11 events. His scoring average (70.73) leads the Huskies, and he has shot in the 60s in 10 rounds this season.

Perhaps his solid performances this season will result in the ultimate prize — an NCAA championship. He returned to school partly to help the Huskies win a team title, but after finishing tied for ninth at the NCAA tournament last year and second in 2008, he has the individual title in his sights, too.

Still, Thurmond envisions Taylor doing more for the program after he's gone.

"We've had some great golfers — Brock Mackenzie, James Lepp (2005 NCAA champion), Alex Prugh — but nobody has achieved the level of success Nick has," Thurmond said. "I think his impact, his legacy, won't be external, but instead internal. Everybody will share stories of what Nick did. The lore and who he is and how he approached the game will filter down for years."

Sometimes, immortality is a humble endeavor.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com