Trojans Go Low in Ackerman-Allen Shootout Victory
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Taylor men's golf team collected its second tournament victory in as many starts with an impressive performance as the Ackerman-Allen Shootout on Monday.
The 16th-ranked Trojans carded their lowest 18-hole and 36-hole scores of the season on Monday, finishing the 36-hole event with a score of 6-under par 570 after posting rounds of 289 (+1) and 281 (-7).
The Trojans finished 12 shots clear of runner-up Marian and bested fellow Crossroads League foes Grace (308+292=600), Mount Vernon Nazarene (306+294=600), Spring Arbor (313+309=622), and Huntington (318+317=635).
Junior Scottie Marston played superb golf to lead the way for the Purple and Gold on Monday. The Delwood, Minnesota native carded a career-low round of 4-under par 68 during the first round and remained steady throughout the afternoon with an even-par tally of 72 in round two. Marston's two-round total of 140 (-4) earned the junior his second tournament victory of the season as he edged teammate Alec Dutkowski by two strokes.
Dutkowski collected his ninth top-5 finish this season with a runner-up on Monday. The senior All-American tallied back-to-back rounds of 1-under par 71 for a two-round total of 142 (-2). Dutkowski and Marston led the field in par-5 scoring at 6-under par for the tournament.
Fellow senior Jeremy Ray also earned a spot on the all-tournament team after finishing with a two-round tally of 143 (-1). Ray turned in a career-low round of 5-under par 67 in the second round after firing a 76 in round one. The senior carded eight birdies for the tournament en route to his seventh top-10 finish of the season.
Freshman Lucas Beck led the field in par-4 scoring for the tournament at 2-under par and finished with a two-round total of 145 (+1) after rounds of 74 and 71. Beck finished in a tie for seventh place, marking his fifth top-10 of the season.
Junior Nate Morris rounded out the scoring for the Trojans with rounds of 77 and 75 to finish in a tie for 23rd place.
The Trojans led the field in par-4 and par-5 scoring while also carding a tournament-best 33 birdies and 114 pars.
The Taylor reserve team also enjoyed a successful day with team scores of 307 and 301. Freshman Javan Johnson led the way with a tie for 15th place. Johnson opened with a round of 78 but turned up the heat in round two en route to six birdies and a career-low round of 71. Sophomore Brady Roberts finished in a tie for 21st place with a two-round total of 151 (70-81) while freshman Jason Iler was one stroke back at 152 (79-73). Fellow freshman Daylen Tidd carded rounds of 80 and 76 to finish tied for 34th while freshman Sam Yeager added rounds of 82-82. Junior Noah Miller fired 83-90 to round out the TU scoring.
The victory was Taylor's fifth of the season and the fourth in their last five events. The Trojans will now turn their attention to the Crossroads League Championship slated for April 29-30 at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Indiana. The Trojans are in pursuit of their fourth consecutive league title.