Nick Taylor Gives Back To His Abbotsford Roots Supporting University Of The Fraser Valley Golf Program
UFV Coach Chris Bertram (L) Is Joined By Famed Ledgeview Alumni Ray Stewart, James Lepp & Nick Taylor For Their Annual Fundraiser - Image Courtesy UFV/Twitter
Under The Guidance Of Coach Chris Bertram, UFV Has Become One Of The Top Teams In The Country
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
ABBOTSFORD -- Nick Taylor will always bleed the purple and gold of his Washington Huskies, but he also has a soft spot for another university. Taylor has become a big supporter in recent years of the University of the Fraser Valley, in particular the Abbotsford-based school’s golf program.
On Friday, Taylor once again took time out of his PGA TOUR schedule and gave back to his Abbotsford roots by playing in the Algra Brothers UFV Cascades Pro-Am presented by Cleveland/Srixon at Ledgeview Golf Club.
The fundraiser is the biggest event of the year for the golf program at the University of the Fraser Valley, which has made great strides in recent years under the stewardship of longtime coach Chris Bertram. It’s not the first time Taylor has played in the event and probably won’t be the last.
“Obviously coach Bertram is a great guy and he has been with the program for a long time,” Taylor said before teeing it up at Ledgeview. “I know a lot of guys who have played for the team and whether the tournament is at Ledgeview or Chilliwack, it’s easy to support them when I am home. It’s a pretty easy decision to be honest. People make it out to be a big deal, but I am home and I am happy to come out and help.”
Bertram would beg to differ. He says having Taylor and other Abbotsford notables play in the event is a big deal. “It honestly blows my mind,” Bertram said. “What it says to me is what a character guy Nick is. He cares about his community, he cares growing the game of golf. We get to be the lucky beneficiaries of that.”
Taylor is not the only name player who has supported the UFV golf program. Fellow PGA TOUR regular Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford has also played in the pro-am. Former PGA TOUR member Ray Stewart is a regular participant and started the pro-am several years ago. Past NCAA champion James Lepp also plays in the event.
“Every year they come back, it’s Nick or Adam or both of them, and James and Ray,” Bertram said. “It’s an amazing thing, especially now when they are so busy on the PGA TOUR. The demands on their schedules are so intense and the fact that they still make this a priority, I am speechless and just eternally grateful. They bring a really cool buzz to the tournament and it obviously makes it easier for us to sell sponsorships.”
Bertram is heading into his 12th year as UFV coach. He wanted the program to be able to serve young golfers from the area who weren’t getting opportunities to play NCAA golf in the United States. “We live in this amazing part of the world,” Bertram said. “We are standing in a parking lot (at Ledgeview) that has produced some of the best golfers in Canada, right? Of course, those guys got opportunities to head to the United States and play NCAA golf.
But around the time when James Lepp moved away I saw an opportunity. Some of the guys he was playing high school golf with and some of Nick’s teammates at Yale (Secondary), they weren’t getting those Division 1 offers. And I thought we need to give these guys a place to play golf and keep them in Canada.”
It has worked wonderfully. The Cascades men’s and women’s teams have blossomed, combining to produce a a pair of Canadian College Athletic Association national championships and seven PacWest conference championships. Despite a poor final round, the Cascades men’s team finished fourth at the recent Canadian University Championships at Morningstar in Parksville run by Golf Canada and Connor McLellan of Chilliwack finished third in the individual competition.
The recent success of the program has made recruiting much easier for Bertram. “We have a recruit from the United States, if you can believe that, a junior college transfer coming here,” Bertram said. “He’s a really good young player. We certainly have the pick of some good young players from across the country.”
The Cascades figure to field a strong team again this fall as the men’s team has all of its squad returning, including No. 1 player Connor O’Dell of Maple Ridge. “Since I started here four years ago it seems to improve every year, with the quality of players and coaches and the tournaments that we get into and everything,” O’Dell said. “I have nothing but good things to say about the university and the program.”