October 25, 2017

Men's Golf Takes Fourth at Whistling Straits

KOHLER, Wisc. – Competing on one of the most iconic golf courses in the world the 15th-ranked Taylor men's golf team took fourth place in a 20-team field at the Whistling Straits Championship on Tuesday.

The Trojans fired a final round score of 319 amid brutal conditions that included temperatures in the low 40's, intermittent rain, and 25-35 miles-per-hour wind. Senior Trey Turner and junior Alec Dutkowski paced TU during Tuesday's final round with a pair of 5-over par 77's. Sophomore Nate Morris added an 80 while senior Mitch Lamping carded an 85 and senior Nick Waskom tallied an 87.

The Trojans finished in fourth place behind 3^rd-ranked Texas Wesleyan, 8^th-ranked Northwetern Ohio, and NCAA Division II Northern Michigan while finishing ahead of No. 12 Cardinal Stritch and #RV Grand View and #RV Holy Cross.

The Trojans entered the final round in a tie for fifth place after carding an opening round team score of 299 on the 6,753-yard, par-72 layout of the Straits Course at the Whistling Straits Resort.

The Straits Course, which has served as the host site to a pair of PGA Championships and will host the 2020 Ryder Cup, showed its teeth on Tuesday with winds whipping off Lake Michigan making the track extremely demanding.

Taylor battled the rough conditions to collect the fifth lowest score of the day despite it being the Trojans' highest team score of the season by 19 shots.

Dutkowski collected his fifth top-10 finish of the season with a ninth place finish in the 100-player field at 149 (72-77). Lamping finished tied for 24^th place at 155 (70-85) while Turner tied for 39^th place at 159 (82-77). Morris collected a tie for 46^th place at 161 (81-80) and Waskom finished tied for 56^th place at 16e (76-87).

The tournament marked the end of a strong fall season for TU as the Trojans collected three tournament titles and a runner-up finish along with Tuesday's fourth place finish in five tournaments. Taylor finishes the fall with 57-4 head-to-head record. Taylor will return to action in the spring.