CHUCKEY, Tenn- The Coker University men's golf team wrapped up competition at the South Atlantic Conference Championship today (Apr. 12) where the Cobras had two named to the All-Tournament Team, wrapping up a record breaking year for the young team.
"The guys really played well today in their final round of the year. We wanted to have our best round of the tournament and make a run at the 54 hole school scoring record of even par, which we missed by one shot, after carding a round of 4-under 284. We saw all kinds of weather this week, and I thought the guys responded well to all of the conditions. We made 40 birdies and had 4 eagles in the 3 day event, which is excellent playing," said Head Coach John Hackney.
Coker finished tied for sixth overall shooting 865 (+1) as a team over three rounds. The Cobras shot a 284 (-4) today as a team, helping them move up two spots in the final standings.
"We set the all time school scoring record, averaging 292 per round, over 30 rounds. We shot par or better in 7 of those 30 rounds as a team. We also set the record for birdies in a season at 324, and set the record for most eagles in a season at 15. Despite having a record breaking season, we knew coming into the SAC Championship that we were going to have to win in order to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Queens University of Charlotte simply had a phenomenal tournament and when they shot 25-under in the first two rounds, they left the rest of the field fighting for second place," said Heach Coach John Hackney
Fred Tindale and Jonathan Hallinger were both named to the All-Tournament Team with their performances over the past three days.
Fred Tindale finished in ninth place, shooting a 212 (-4) overall and a 68 (-4) today. Tindale shot seven birdies in today's round and 13 overall including an eagle. Jonathan Hallinger finished tied for 10th place, shooting a 213 (-3) overall and a 68 (-4) in the final round. Hallinger shot four birdies and two eagles today while shooting 10 birdies over the three rounds.
Killian Ryan finished the day shooting a 73 (+1) and shooting a 221 (+5) through three rounds.
Senior Coleman Bess shot a 75 (+3) today and shot a 224 (+8) over three rounds of play. Caleb Tidd shot a 79 (+7) today and a 234 (+18) overall.
"We play in the best division 2 golf conference in the country, and we held our own in all 10 of the tournaments we played. It's just unfortunate that we're in a league with 5 teams who are ranked in the top 25 nationally, because this group of Cobras had enough talent, posted numbers, that would've been dominant in most conferences in the country."
"Today, Fred and Johnny were really firing on all cylinders. Johnny made 4 birdies and 2 eagles in his round of 68, Fred carded 7 birdies to post a matching 68. Despite not having his best stuff, Killian shot 1 over, and Coleman in his collegiate finale was magical around the greens, getting up and down from everywhere shooting 75. It was really fun to watch these guys go today, as they shot the 5th best score of the final round of the SAC Championship."
"I cannot express what a privilege it was to work with these young men this season. I believe they have set a standard that is going to help Coker golf become one of the dominant golf programs in the country," said Hackney.