Canadian Press
July 27, 2008 at 4:24 PM EDT

OAKVILLE, Ont. — It would be hard for anyone to top the two-month stretch Nick Taylor has enjoyed.

The Abbotsford, B.C., amateur continued his fantastic summer Sunday, firing a final-round even-par 70 at the RBC Canadian Open to wind up at 1 under for the tournament. Taylor had one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars in a consistent round that mirrored his performance for the event.

"I hit it well here, and I putted pretty well," said Taylor, "I think everything (went) pretty well."

Quite the understatement from the soft-spoken Taylor. The 20-year-old posted the best finish by a Canadian amateur since 1972, when Nick Weslock finished tied for 34th. He also wound up with the second-best 72-hole score among the 19 Canadians taking part, behind only Mike Weir. Not bad for a guy just about to enter his junior season at the University of Washington.

"I've never spoken with (Nick), but the talent level of these guys and how good they get when they're young ... I was in college just kind of knocking it around," said countryman Bryan DeCorso. "(He's) ready to play. The talent level and the mentality is pretty awesome."

Weir was even-par through five holes Sunday, leaving him at 10 under — four shots back of co-leaders Chez Reavie and Anthony Kim.

Taylor began his sensational eight-week run with a second-place finish at the NCAA championship, helping the Huskies to a seventh-place finish in the team competition. He followed that up by qualifying for the U.S. Open, where he didn't look out of place, shooting 77-75 to miss the cut by three shots.

Taylor said he learned plenty in his first appearance at a major — or any PGA event, for that matter.

"Being at the U.S. Open was huge," said Taylor. "There were so many people there, a lot of people supporting me. It was a big deal."

Taylor's final round was largely uneventful. He knocked down a nine-foot putt on the par-4 fourth hole for his only birdie of the day, then gave the shot back when he put his approach shot in the rough on the par-4 10th. He went on to miss a 23-foot putt for par.

Despite enjoying success on the golf course, Taylor doesn't intend to give up his amateur status any time soon.

"I've always planned to do four years of school and get a degree," said Taylor, who would have earned about $11,500 as a pro for his weekend performance. "College life, college golf, it's pretty awesome. I really don't want to miss two years of it.

"I haven't really thought about turning pro and I probably won't until I'm done school."

DeCorso's final round was a bad story with a happy ending. He had seven bogeys against one birdie over his first 17 holes before knocking in a five-footer for eagle on No. 18. "My putter failed me today," said the 37-year-old Nationwide Tour veteran. "I missed every putt that length until 18, so I'm glad I made it on the final hole. I missed maybe four or five six-footers today. "I could have even salvaged a 1-under-par day if my putter was better." David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., struggled to a three-over 74, leaving him at even-par for the tournament.