Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor is once again the winner of his namesake event.
The fifth annual Nick Taylor Charity Pro-Am saw the Ledgeview product shoot a -5 (65) at his home course on Thursday (Sept. 9) to edge out Vancouver Golf Tour pros Bryce Barker (66), Kevin Spooner (67) and Brad Clapp (68). UFV Cascades men’s golf alum Zach Olson shot 69 and was part of a six-way tie for fifth place.
Organizers stated that the tournament was a success off the course as well. It was once again sold out, with proceeds supporting the UFV men’s and women’s golf teams, along with a pair of local charities selected by Taylor and his wife Andie: Abbotsford’s Archway Community Services, and Chilliwack Community Services.
The fifth annual Nick Taylor Charity Pro-Am presented by @algrabros was once again a sold-out success!@ntaylorgolf59 shot 65 to win the pro division, and @Archwayca, @ChilliwackCS, and the Cascades golf teams benefitted from the fundraising efforts!
🔗https://t.co/S1iY5To3Mh pic.twitter.com/gcOMdY28pz
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) September 10, 2021
Final fundraising totals for Thursday’s event were not immediately available, but Chris Bertram, development advisor for Cascades golf, announced a pair of impressive cumulative figures to the crowd.
Over the past 11 years, dating back to the advent of the UFV golf program’s fundraising tourney originally held in partnership with Ray Stewart, the event has now eclipsed the $1 million mark in total dollars raised, and more than $250,000 has been generated for endowments to fund student-athlete scholarships.
Afterward, Taylor lauded the contributions of Bertram, Phil Algra of presenting sponsor Algra Bros., and Cascades golf coaches Aaron Pauls and Cody Stewart for their efforts in helping to stage this year’s tournament. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Taylor spent seven-plus consecutive months stateside during the PGA Tour season, and there was uncertainty whether he’d be able to come home to Abbotsford to play host.
“It was a worry even four months ago,” he noted. “But I’m happy I was able be here, and everything went really smoothly.
“Andie and I want to support as much as we can locally – we both grew up here,” he added. “Archway and Chilliwack Community Services, being umbrella organizations for both of their communities, they can distribute the money where it needs to go.”
Stewart, head coach of the Cascades women’s golf program, noted that it’s “a huge privilege to partner with Nick Taylor on an event like this.”
“The fact it provides support for the community is important to us, because our program runs on community support,” he said. “So for us to be able to give back in an event like this is something we always look forward to.”
“It’s amazing to have people like Nick and Andie who want to give back to the community, and we get to help them do that,” echoed Pauls, Cascades men’s golf head coach. “This event has really come a long way, with businesses in the community wanting to support and attend, and it’s a really cool event for us.”
Taylor is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, most recently at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February of 2020. He returns south of the border next week to play the 2021-22 season-opening tournament, the Fortinet Championship in Napa, Calif.
