By > Trish Daly > Boston College

When sitting on the couch with a video game controller, immersed in a game of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, have you ever wondered what it would feel like to actually be on the course alongside Tiger? University of Washington senior Nick Taylor doesn’t have to wonder—he’s been there. 

Though the PGA tour is known for its seasoned veterans, you may have noticed a few fresh faces at the U.S. Open this year, including Taylor, who put in a solid performance by matching the best score for an amateur in U.S. Open history. Was he nervous? “This year was a little different, I was nervous last year but this was my second time,” says Taylor. (He missed the cut by just a few shots in the 2008 Open, but by this year’s tournament, nervousness was no longer a factor.)

Taylor, a native of British Columbia, started playing golf around the age of 11, and he knew early on in high school that he wanted to play seriously. He’s not the only one in the family; his brother Josh plays for the University of Texas-El Paso. The sibling rivalry seems nothing but friendly, though. “We played together actually in Fresno—it was fun, it was the first time we’ve ever played at the same tournament and we played together the first two rounds,” says Taylor. 

Competing at his level doesn’t offer Taylor much time to hang out at home with family and friends this summer. With only a short break after the Open he is already starting a string of tournaments in Seattle, Oklahoma, Toronto, and Ohio.  

And when the semester begins, you would think it would be difficult to deal with writing papers and nodding through lectures when a professional athletic career is attainable, but Taylor is relishing his time as a student. “It’s fun to be there with friends and the team and travel—I enjoyed it so much the first three years, it’s not hard to stay at all,” says Taylor. He plans to go pro after graduating, but right now he’s focused on goals for the team, hoping to win Nationals this year. Despite the time set aside for practices and tournaments, it’s not hard to fit in a normal social life: “We’re away for four-day stretches but it doesn’t cut into the social life that much, we play golf after class and then hang out with other athletes and friends.”

After his impressive scores at the 2009 U.S. Open, look for Taylor alongside Tiger Woods at future PGA tournaments. Though the course, Bethpage State Park in New York, was long, wet and a little tough to play on, Taylor had a great experience at this year’s Open. “It was cool and very exciting. I played practice rounds with Mike Weir and some other big names—just to be in the same tournament and see those guys was cool,” says Taylor. 

If you have aspirations of getting into the game on a course somewhere other than an Xbox disk drive, Taylor advises, “Keep at it, it’s tough to get the hang of it but if you love it then just keep working at it.” Judging by all his recent success, that ethos is helping Nick Taylor rise quickly in the golf world. 

Nick’s Top Picks:

Happy Gilmore or Caddy Shack?

Happy Gilmore.

U.S. Open or NCAA finals?

US Open—being an amateur and playing in a pro event is great.

Favorite golf course? 

The Olympic Club in San Francisco—narrow driving courses, beautiful with the views and huge trees.