Johnson Wins as Trojans Take Second
LEXINGTON, KY. – Taylor's Javan Johnson collected his second career victory on Tuesday, pulling away for an impressive 5-shot win at the Garn Championship.
Johnson posted a two-round total of 1-over par 145, carding rounds of 69-76 en route to the dominant win. The redshirt sophomore from Franklin, Indiana played steady golf amid extremely challenging conditions during Tuesday's final round to secure his second win of the season.
Johnson entered the final round with a four-shot lead and saw his lead dwindle to one on the back nine with Marian's Jay Williams charging on the 6,817-yard, par-72 layout of Keene Trace Champions course, home of the PGA Tour's Barbasol Classic.
Facing one of the toughest shots on the course, the tee shot on the 213-yard, par-3 14th hole Johnson sent a piercing 4-iron to a perfect position eight feet below the hole setting an easy par that increased his lead to two shots.
The next hole produced the shot of the tournament for Johnson. The Taylor ace striped a drive and hit 4-iron to the front of the green on the 504-yard, par 5 15th then rolled in a 35-foot putt for eagle to essentially seal the victory.
Taylor earned a second place finish behind Crossroads League foe Marian with a two-round total of 632. The Trojans shot 308 in round one followed by 324 in round two while the Knights fired 301-319 to pull away for a 12-shot victory.
High winds and unwieldy hole locations on the slippery green complexes of Keene Trace Champions sent scores skyrocketing during Tuesday's final round. In addition to the 76 from Johnson, Taylor also counted a 79 from sophomore Noah Ross as well as an 84 from freshman Austin Davis and an 85 from sophomore Drew Pickering while sophomore Payne Moses fired an 87.
The Taylor reserve squad was led by junior Jason Iler's 80 in round two while Lance VanErmen carded a 91, Keegan White added an 88, and Sam Yeager tallied an 89.
Ross earned a spot on the all-tournament team, taking fourth place in the 80-player field as one of just four players to fire a pair of sub-80 rounds. Ross signed for a 77 in round one and birdied his final hole of the tournament for 79 in round two.
The Trojans have a quick turnaround for their next event as Taylor hosts the Purgatory Intercollegiate this weekend on Friday and Saturday at Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville, Indiana.