Trojans Dominate in Pilot Invitational Win
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The 16th-ranked Taylor women's golf team dominated the final round of the Pilot Invitational as the Trojans turned a two-shot deficit into a 24-shot victory on Saturday.
Sophomore Maddie Thomas and freshman Taylor French were the only players in the 63-player field to break 80 during extremely challenging conditions on Saturday as Thomas and French each tallied 79's to lead the Trojans in round two. Thomas and French finished with identical two-day scores of 76-79 and tied with Cardinal Stritch's Hannah Stradling for tournament medalist honors at 155.
Freshman Nicole Jung added a second round 83 and collected her eighth top-5 finish of the season after finishing tied for fifth place at 165 (82-83). Junior Elizabeth Jackson also tallied a top-10 finish with a two-round total of 168 (85-83) while sophomore Annie Stimmel finished in 24th place at 177 (86-91).
The Trojans totaled a team score of 324 in round two which was 18 shots better than the next best team score (342 from Olivet Nazarene) during the second round as rain, strong winds, and cold temperatures made the 5,915-yard, par-72 layout at Blackthorn Golf Club play extremely difficult.
The Trojans trailed #RV Cardinal Stritch by two shots following Friday's opening round but the Wolves struggled to a final round 350 to finish with a two-round total of 667 (317-350). The Trojans finished at 643 (319-324) to pull away for a 24-shot victory. Taylor also finished ahead of #RV Bethel (323-353=676) as well as fellow Crossroads League foes Grace (341-350=691), and Spring Arbor (357-368=725).
The Trojans will tee it up in their final regular season tournament on Tuesday when TU hosts the Ackerman-Allen Shootout at Ackerman-Allen Golf Course at Purdue University. The one-day, 36-hole event is scheduled to begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 am.