May 1, 2009

          
               
WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--Matthew Giles of USC and Nick Taylor of Washington have been named Pac-10 Co-Golfers of the Year, Gregor Main of UCLA has been named Freshman of the Year and Washington coach Matt Thurmond has 
been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in voting by the Pac-10 men's golf coaches.  In addition, the 2009 All-Pac-10 Men's Golf Team selected by the coaches was announced.

Giles, a sophomore from Sydney, Australia, has had a sensational season and is currently the top-ranked collegiate player in the nation in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings.  Giles earned that top ranking by being a model of consistency for the Trojans all season.  In 11 tournaments, Giles has posted top-5 finishes six times and has placed 
in the top 20 eight times.  In 31 rounds of play, he has an average score of 71.4.  Included was a low round of 63 in the U.S. Intercollegiate at Stanford.

Taylor, a junior from Abotsford, British Columbia, becomes the first ever Washington player named Pac-10 Golfer of the Year.  Taylor has had a remarkable season with four wins and two runnerup finishes in 11 tournaments this season.  Taylor posted victories in  the CordeValle Collegiate, the UH Hilo Intercollegiate, the Oregon Duck Invitational and the U.S. Intercollegiate.  He finished second the the Pac-10 Championships to teammate Darren Wallace.  In 34 rounds of play, he has an average score of 71.4, including a low round of 63 in the U.S. 
Intercollegiate at Stanford.

Main, a freshman from Danville, Calif., has had a tremendous year in his initial collegiate season at UCLA.  Wth seven top 20 finishes in 10 tournaments this year, including a second at the Cal Poly  Invitational and a third-place finish at the USC Invitational.  He has had six rounds out of 30 in the 60s this season and has a stroke average of 72.7 for the year.  He ranks as the number two player of the UCLA squad that is currently ranked No. 17 in the nation.

Thurmond, in his eighth year as head coach, has directed Washington to a stellar year that saw the Trojans win five of the 11 tournaments they entered this year, capped by the just concluded victory in the Pac-10 Championships.  USC just missed a fourth win by being edged out in a playoff by Arizona State in the Pac-10 Championships.  In addition to the win in the Pac-10 Championships, the Huskies came out on top in the Husky Invitational, the Fresno State Golf Classic, the Oregon Duck Invitational and the U.S. Intercollegiate.  The Pac-10 title was just the fifth in Washington history and the second under Thurmond's watch.  It marks the second Pac-10 Coach of the Year honor for Thurmond, who also earned the award in 2005.


The Pac-10 golf awards and the All-Pac-10 Team are voted on by the Conference head golf coaches.  Following is the complete list of honors:

   
Honorable Mention:  Tze Huang Choo, So., WASH;  George Gandranata, 
Sr., CAL;  Michael Jensen, Sr., CAL;  John Murphy, Jr., CAL;  Richard 
Saferian, So., ARIZ;  Isaiah Telles, So., ORE;  Kevin Tucker, Jr., 
WSU;  Diego Veleaquez, Jr., OSU;  Eugene Wong, Fr., ORE.