Trojans Cruise to Sixth Straight Crossroads League Title
LACONIA, Ind. – The 16th-ranked Taylor men's golf team left no doubt about the outcome of the 2022 Crossroads League Championship, rolling to a 16-shot victory to push Taylor's incredible run to six consecutive Crossroads League titles.
Taylor dominated the field with four Trojans finishing in the top five on the individual leaderboard. Junior Noah Ross led the way for TU with a final round tally of 2-under par 70 on the 6,974-yard, par-72 layout of Chariot Run Golf Club. Redshirt junior Javan Johnson added a 72 while junior Drew Pickering notched a 73, sophomore Adam Kasitz carded a 74, and junior Erik Fahlen posted a 76.
Ross finished the tournament in second place on the individual leaderboard at 4-under par for the tournament with scores of 73-69-70. The 4-under par total is tied for the third best 54-hole total in Taylor history, matching the 4-under total by Kasitz at Chariot Run last fall. Marian's Jay Williams edged Ross for the Crossroads League title at 6-under, closing with a final round 70 that included birdies on his last two holes.
Finishing one shot behind Ross in third place was redshirt junior Javan Johnson who tallied scores of 73-68-72 to finish at 3-under par. Pickering claimed fourth place on the individual leaderboard with scores of 76-70-73. Kasitz added a tie for fifth place at 222 with rounds of 71-77-74 while Fahlen narrowly missed out on a top-10, finishing tied for 12th place at 225 with rounds of 76-73-76.
The Trojans entered the final round with a comfortable 12-shot cushion and were never threatened as TU played steady golf en route to a final round team score of 1-over par 289. Taylor's three round total of 2-under par 862 (293-280-289) is the second best 54-hole team total in Taylor history, second only to Taylor's 10-under par total at the 2018 Crossroads League Championship.
Taylor's dominance was on full display on the par-5's at Chariot Run as the Trojans led the field with a 25-under mark on the par-5's for the event. Fahlen led the charge on the par-5's as the junior led the tournament at 9-under par on the par-5's for the week.
TU also led the field in par-3 scoring at 8-over par for the week. Ross led the field in par-3 scoring, playing the short holes at 2-under par for the tournament.
The Trojans managed a tournament-best 171 pars with Johnson leading the field with 36 followed by Pickering and Ross with 36 each. TU also led the field in birdies with 50 while Ross led the field with 13 birdies.
With the victory the Trojans have now won six consecutive Crossroads League titles with the streak beginning in 2016.
Taylor now advances to the NAIA National Championship to be played on May 17-20 at TPC Deere Run in Silvia, Illinois, the site of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic.