Golf: Taylor-made for success

Taylor Gill has etched his name in history alongside the likes of Greg Turner (1981), Michael Campbell (1987), Michael Long (1988) and Adam Scott (1996) in winning the NZ Under-19 Championship.

There is no rest for the successful in the Gill household, not even after 16-year-old Taylor surprised everyone - including himself - in winning the New Zealand Under-19 Championship in Taupo.

Taylor and his family, who were at the Taupo Golf Club supporting him, pretty much got straight in the car to return to the Bay of Islands to compete in Taylor's club championships.

Still on cloud nine, Taylor's mother, Jan, admits to feeling extremely proud of her son's win last Friday despite the lack of sleep.

However, Jan and the Gill clan had a nervous wait before finding out about the win - being told of it by fellow Northlander and one of Taylor's role models, Kadin Neho.

"We weren't following him around the course. We just decided he was doing well, he had his game plan and was doing well, so we figured he had it sorted so it was best to sit back and let him go.

"[Neho] came in the group before Taylor and sat down with a big grin on his face. He said 'Taylor just birdied the last four holes and I think he has won it'."

Well, Neho was right. Taylor fired a three-under par 69 in the final round to claim the trophy by three shots from Bay of Plenty golfer Henry Spring (73) with Waikato rep Denzel Ieremia (73) a further shot back in third place.

Taylor, who had opened with rounds of 71 and 73 to be one stroke back from the leading quartet, was impressive under pressure as he delivered the dream run on Friday.

"This means a lot to me. I am ecstatic to win my first national title and, to do it the way I did, makes it even better," Taylor said after his win.

"My putter really lit up during that stretch of holes. I was holing everything from around 20 feet. It was a great feeling to see them all go in."

He added the key to his performance was sticking to his game plan, much to Jan's delight.

"He was pretty stunned actually ... [and] we were very proud to be there.

"Taylor likes to keep things on the down-low, so it has all been a big learning experience."

Taylor's performance is even more impressive considering his record in 2014 is hardly startling.

He has played in six events this year with his best result, before Friday an eighth place at the North Island Under-19 Championship in Hamilton.

But he turned that around in spectacular style when he claimed the under-19 title, following in the footsteps of some Australasian legends.

It is unclear what the future may hold for Taylor, and if the previous winners of the Under-19 Championships are anything to go by, he could be going a fair way.

Names on the trophy include the likes of Greg Turner (1981), Michael Campbell (1987), Michael Long (1988), Adam Scott (1996), Steven Bowditch (2000) and Jason Day (2004) illustrate that it is a stepping stone event on the golf pathway.