Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have all competed in a U.S. Amateur Championship.
But after this past summer, North Idaho College sophomore Taylor Reed can be added to this list of legendary golfers.
He also secured a place in the NIC history books by winning a United States Golf Association (USGA) qualifier, the first person in school history to accomplish this feat.
“There have been a lot of great players to come through NIC and I’m just fortunate to be able to be the first to do it,” Reed said. “I’m the first but I know I definitely won’t be the last.”
Reed, from Sheridan, Wyo., but born in Jackson Hole, shot a 72 and 72 for a two-round score of 144 to win the USGA qualifier in Jackson Hole, Wyo., this summer.
“It was the first time I ever tried to qualify for the U.S. Am,” Reed said. “I guess you can say it was beginner’s luck.”
Head coach Derrick Thompson said he practiced a lot for the tournament and had more time to prepare because in the summer, he did not have to worry about going to classes and doing homework. He had more time to focus on his golf game.
Since he won the qualifier, he was able to compete in the U.S. Amateur Championship at Cherry Hill Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., August 13-19 against about 300 of the best amateur golfers in the country.
Reed said he thinks he was the only junior college participant at the U.S. Amateur Championship and that he was competing against a lot of Division I golfers and some of the best amateurs in the world.
“I had a blast,” Reed said. “I felt like I was playing a major.”
Reed shot a 156 at the U.S. Amateur Championship which tied for 273rd place, but Thompson said he played aggressively the last eight or nine holes to try to qualify for the 64-player round which caused him to shoot a higher score than what he normally would have.
Reed said the difference between his USGA qualifier performance and the U.S. Amateur Championship was a lack of experience.
“I played decent,” Reed said. “It was a tougher course and probably a lot bigger venue. There were hundreds of people watching you on every hole.”
As for this upcoming collegiate season, Thompson said that his golf experiences this summer will help him.
“Now he’s played at probably the most difficult and challenging tournament he could’ve possibly ever played in,” Thompson said. “So I think it’s going to make everything else seem a little bit easier.”
Thompson also said that his participation in the U.S. Amateur Championship has attracted college golf recruiters from four-year schools.
“After two years at NIC, he’s going to want to go play somewhere else and getting that notoriety as a U.S. Am participant is huge,” Thompson said. “We’ve already seen lots of schools contacting me and him kind of wondering what he wants to do.”
The NIC men’s and women’s golf teams compete in the NIC Invitational at Avondale Golf Course in Hayden Lake, Idaho Sept. 23 and 24.
