Men's Golf 8th after two rounds of SAC Championships

HICKORY, N.C. -- The Coker men's golf team carded a 13-over par 301 Monday in the second round of the SAC Championships and sits in 8th place heading into Tuesday's final round at Lake Hickory Country Club.

Playing in high winds, junior Jonathan Hallinger was again the pacesetter for the Cobras, notching five birdies in a round of 1-over 73, which is tied for 11th in the 60-man field. Junior Caleb Tidd also had a solid round of 74 that included two birdies. Hallinger hit 16-of-18 greens in regulation, including seven inside 15 feet.

"Johnny is striking the ball sensationally right now," Coker head coach John Hackney said. "He has made 11 birdies in two days, which is second in the field. He just had one bad hole that hurt him today. I believe he will go low tomorrow. Caleb was just steady all day. He hit seven fairways and 13 greens. He had a great birdie on 17, which is playing one of the hardest holes."

The Cobras, who are 18-over par overall, also counted a 76 from Killian Ryan and a 78 from Fred Tindale. Ryan hit the ball brilliantly, notching 16 greens and 11 fairways, but was victimized by 40 putts. Tindale hit two balls out of bounds over the 8th green and made the turn in 8-over, but rebounded with a two-under back nine to keep the Cobras within striking distance of a high finish. Sophomore Derek McGlaughlin had a solid start to his round (2-over thru 12) but struggled down the stretch and carded an 83.

"Overall, we hit the ball well today," Hackney said, "but we made a few miscalculations with the gusty winds and really struggled on the greens. We had 10 3-putts among our counting scores, which hurt. After a rough start, I was really proud of how Fred came back in 2-under on the final nine."

Nationally top-ranked Anderson seized control of the tournament, shooting 8-under par 280 for the second straight day. At a 16-under total, the Trojans lead host Lenoir-Rhyne by 14 shots and third-place Tusculum by 22.

Anderson's Alejandro DeCastro carded a 68 and is 9-under for two rounds, three shots clear of teammate Reece Coleman, in the race for medalist honors.

"We have had a great season, and we're not ready for it to be over," Hackney said, "so we have sights set on firing a really low round tomorrow so we can catch a bunch of teams ahead of us and earn a bid to the NCAAs. We have a talented bunch and I believe in these guys, so we're ready to turn it loose!"