HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker University men's golf team will begin the spring portion of their 2020-21 schedule on Monday (Feb. 22), as the Cobras travel to Columbia, South Carolina, to compete in the CIU Spring invitational.

This is Coker's first tournament since its spring 2020 season was shortened. 

Head coach Sam Stark's goals are very high for his team. 

"They've started to mature and own the process of becoming better players - our top three from last year are now two sophomores and a junior," said Stark. "With no seniors, they've stepped up into leading roles nicely, and are looking forward to making some noise this spring. We play in one of the toughest conferences in the nation (currently four top-25 teams), in the toughest region in the nation. Our goal is to make it to regionals, whether on merit from the season or by winning our conference championship."

Teeing off for the Cobras

Stark knows that his returners will be crucial for this season. 

"They've all taken steps forward to not only becoming better golfers but becoming closer teammates," said Stark. "There's four of them, and they all live together; they've taken it upon themselves to be leaders. Fred Tindale and Coleman Bess are our co-captains - they've each dedicated themselves to diving into the details of their games, just because they know how slim the margins are in the SAC and the South/Southeast region. Killian Ryan has added some distance by working hard in the weight room. JJ Cots continues to get stronger and grow his game - where he's at in his development, having only played golf for 4 years total is quite remarkable."

"The dynamic between the new guys and returners has been excellent - it's a very welcoming group, and it's always interesting as a coach to see how people from different parts of the world will mesh," said Stark. "We're lucky to have strong leadership throughout the team to make this an extremely welcoming environment."

Coker's group of newcomers shows a promising future for the program. 

"They give us a depth that we were lacking last year, and each guy has the ability to go low on any given day," said Stark. "Jonathan Hallinger and Caleb Tidd bring dynamic athleticism and strong amateur golf backgrounds to our lineup. Caleb's high school team at Center Grove was always in the mix for an Indiana state title, so I'm curious to see if he can translate that to the college game. Frans Axelsson has a ton of polish and International golf experience in Sweden, France, and England, and brings a great attitude - he's a true glue guy, he always keeps us loose and laughing, but knows when to get down to business and play good golf."

Cobra Strengths

"The number one strength of this team is the experience we have at the top, and also the way this group has gelled together; they can be honest with each other, demanding with each other, and can trust each other - all of that is built upon communication and having high standards for themselves and for this team," said Stark. "I think our players who have some college tournament experience know that the margins are so slim in our tournaments, that we can't afford to slip up mentally for one shot, or for one hole, because that could make the difference. Personally, I've been very pleased with the leadership and leadership potential that this group has."

"All seven players are going to be key to helping us to a successful season, I'm simply excited for our players to be able to compete again, because I know they'll relish the opportunity," said Stark. "Our team captains are statistically our two best players, so their continued growth on and off the course is going to be crucial to our success."

The Cobras will play 18 holes on both Monday (Feb. 22) and Tuesday (Feb. 23), with play beginning at 8:00 a.m. each day. Live scoring will be available at cokercobras.com