Trojans Finish Strong at National Championship
SILVIS, Ill. – Trey Turner bogeyed his first five holes but bounced back to play his last 13 holes at 5-under par to shoot an even par round of 71 and lead the 16th-ranked Taylor men's golf team during the third round of the NAIA National Championship on Thursday.
The Trojans looked like a young team making its first appearance at the NAIA National Championship in 18 years during the first two rounds but TU settled into a rhythm in round three. Taylor carded the seventh best team score of the day on Thursday, finishing with a team total of 293 (+9). In addition to the 71 from Turner the Trojans also counted a 73 from sophomore Nick Waskom, a 74 from freshman Alec Dutkowski, and a 75 from sophomore Mitch Lamping while freshman Jeremy Ray struggled to an 88.
The strong play in round three propelled the Trojans three spots up the leaderboard into 26th place in the 30-team field, five shots behind Crossroads League foe Marian. Taylor missed the cut of the top 17 teams by 21 shots.
Turner, the reigning Crossroads League tournament champion, was the top finisher for TU with a three round total of 228 (78-79-71) to finish in a tie for 63rd while Waskom (81-76-73) was next in a tie for 75th. Dutkowski (81-78-74) finished tie for 95th while Lamping (83-79-75) finished tied for 120th and Ray (83-82-88) finished tied for 148th in the 156-player field.
The Trojans finish the 2015-16 campaign with six tournament victories, including the Crossroads League tournament. TU will return each of its top five players next year along with several other players with valuable tournament experience.