Coker Men Tie for 7th in Florida

Playing at the 7,100-yard St. John's Golf & Country Club, the Cobras ranked 22nd nationally, got a 3-over 75 from senior Jonathan Hallinger, a 77 from senior Aaron Teece, a 79 from senior Killian Ryan, an 81 from senior Caleb Tidd and an 84 from junior Derek McGlaughlin for a team score of 312 (24-over par).

The field, which included seven teams in the top 25, struggled across the board because of the winds and fast greens. No. 1 North Georgia shot 13-over 301, but that was good enough to rally for the team title at 11-over 875 for 54 holes. No. 18 Lander and Lincoln Memorial had the low round of the day at 9-over and placed second and third, respectively, at 877 and 878.

Placing fourth was No. 8 Georgia Southwestern, the 36-hole leader that struggled to a 309 (21-over) on Tuesday to post 881. Wingate took fifth at 889 (+25), Flagler was sixth at 893 (+29) and Coker and Lenoir-Rhyne deadlocked for 7th at 894 (30-over par).

"It was really tough out there today," Coker head coach John Hackney said. "A lot of high-caliber players posted high scores. With all these outstanding golfers, the low round was a 4-under 68 Tuesday. Only three other players broke par, and all three shot 71. That tells you how tough it was. We just had too many big numbers and not enough birdies, but it was just really hard to hit it close and get good looks in those winds. When a team like North Georgia, who has been averaging about 20-under in 54-hole events -- and has won four times this season -- can manage just 13-over this week, you know the course played hard."

Only five players broke par for 54 holes, with Columbus State's Bernard Meyer grabbing the win at 4-under 212. He shot a 3-over 75 on Tuesday.

Hallinger finished +7 for the tournament to tie for 23rd, Ryan was tied for 30th at  +8 and Tidd tied for 36th at +10. McGlaughlin, who had one of the tournament's best rounds of 68 on the second 18 Monday, tied for 49th at +12 and Teece tied for 68th at +17.

"We had nine doubles and a triple today, which is very uncharacteristic," Hackney said, "but the wind was just very challenging. We have been averaging around 15 birdies per round, so to have only seven didn't allow us to put up a decent number. Still, we have an experienced team, so I look forward to seeing how we bounce back in two weeks."

The Cobras next event is the Spring Bulldog Clash at the Caledonia Golf & Fish Club on Pawley's Island, S.C., Feb. 26-27."