Taylor feels good about defending NMC Open title

Defending champion Jeff Taylor is optimistic he will play well in his defense of the Northern Marianas College Foundation Open tomorrow at the Lao Lao Bay Golf Resort.

During an interview yesterday, the veteran par-buster stressed that his play will be determined by his short game, which he was not too pleased with during his past two tournaments—the HANMI Charity Golf Tournament last April and the 3rd Annual Family Fun Day Golf Tournament just this past Saturday.

Taylor, however, said that he is entering the NMC competition with better confidence after closing the Family Fun tourney with consecutive birdies.

“My ball-striking was okay and I wasn’t disappointed with the way I hit the golf ball, but I had 38 putts and my short game was really sour,” he said. [But] I made a couple of birdies in the last couple of holes that really saved the round. If I can take what I did wrong last week and improve on my putting, chipping, and course management, I think I should do okay. I’m optimistic and I have a positive attitude that I’ll do well this weekend.”

Taylor explained that despite being not too satisfied with his three-under par 75 last weekend, the two birdies had a great effect on his confidence, which is another key to having a good day on the course.

“This was a positive feeling as far as self confidence…to be able to not play so well and birdie the last two holes, so I have a feeling that I’m going to be ready to play this week,” he said. “Confidence is really the whole game. If you’re confident, you can execute. If not, you’re always second-guessing yourself and making wrong decisions and that affects your entire play. You have to be able to freely swing out there and not have too many thoughts and complications going through your head.”

Nonetheless, Taylor said he expects stiff competition from other participants in the Championship Flight.

“You can’t win everything,” he said. “Everyone in the Championship Flight has basically won a tournament. Everybody knows how to win and it’s just a matter of executing it and performing on tournament day.

“It’s going to be really tough. Guys are preparing and I look for someone to shoot under par. I have a feeling that for this tournament, you’re going to have to shoot even par or a couple under par to win, so I don’t think a 75 will win. I’m going to have to play a lot better than that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Taylor expressed his satisfaction with the organizers of the tournament, citing that the tourney features great prizes, which lure many golfers, making the event very competitive.

“I think it’s a great tournament because last year, we got a chance to meet Bruce Devlin, a good PGA Tour and Senior Tour player, and its great to have somebody like that come and participate. I think the organizers put on a really good event together with the prize money and roundtrip tickets. When you have prizes and cash on the line, you tend to get the better players and majority of golfers show up so I think it will be good,” he said.

Playing golf since the age of eight years old, Taylor said the reason why he enjoys the sport is because “it’s an individual sport.”

“You’re not counting on a teammate to do well, you blame or congratulate yourself,” he said. “Also, you can play indefinitely until you’re old for a long period of time. It’s more of a mental game, but it still requires a lot of physical strength.”

He added that it produces a challenge especially since weather conditions are always changing and courses are always modified.

Taylor is also involved in other sport activities, such as fishing, racquetball, surfing, and tennis, among others.

Aside from the Championship Flight, the 3rd Annual NMC Foundation Open also features A and B flights, whose entries must master the west course. Participants in the Senior, C, and Ladies flights tackle the east course.

Top winners of each flight will receive $500 plus a roundtrip ticket to anywhere Continental Micronesia provides services to, while second and third place winners receive $300 and $200.

Also highlighting the competition are the eight hole-in-one prizes up for grabs, including a 2005 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab, a 2006 Hyundai Sonata, a Yamaha ATV Grizzly 4×4, a Yamaha Generator EF5200DE, a Yamaha Engine F-15AMHL, and two $25,000 prizes.

Hole-in-one sponsors include Triple J Motors, Microl Corp., Joeten Motors, Aon Insurance, and Bank of Hawaii.

A banquet will cap off the day at Hyatt Regency Saipan. Sponsors will also be guests at a cocktail reception at the Saipan Grand Hotel.

Sponsors extending their generosity include Herman’s Bakery, Furusato Restaurant, POI Aviation, Tan Holdings Corp., SaipanCell Communications, Pepsi, Saipan Tribune, Microl Toyota, Bank of Hawaii, Triple J Motors, and Joeten Motors.

For more information, please contact NMC at 234-5498 extension 1001 or e-mail daisiec@nmcnet.edu.