March 25, 2024
Cobras stage big rally; now tied for 5th
LENOIR CITY, TN -- After a rough start Monday morning in the Tennessee River Rumble, the Coker men played some sensational golf at the end of round one and throughout round two to pull into a tie for 5th place in the 20-team field that includes seven squads ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Playing on the par-72 WindRiver Golf Club, the Cobras covered the 7,057-yard layout in 10-over 298 in the morning and 6-under 282 in the afternoon.
"We played some of the tougher holes first in the cold to start the morning and were 12-over through five holes," Coker head coach John Hackney said. "It was simply a terrible start. It was so bad that we were in last place for much of the round, but the guys hung in there and lit it up down the stretch to pull into 8th place after 18 holes."
It was looking bleak for the Cobras until they made 10 birdies on holes 1-4 at the end of the round.
"We really got hot at the end, and that was huge," Hackney said. "Then, we carried that momentum into the second round and never took our foot off the gas."
The Cobras had the third-best afternoon round as all five players shot between 69 and 73.
Super Senior Killian Ryan paced Coker at 72-69--141 and is tied for 6th of 100 players. He had four birdies in the morning and five in the afternoon. He hit seven fairways and 13 greens in the second round and needed just 29 putts.
Senior Caleb Tidd notched eight birdies and is tied for 13th at 71-72--143. Senior Aaron Teece shot 76-73--149 and rolled in seven birdies, including five in the first round to help him overcome two triples and a double.
Senior Jonathan Hallinger bounced back from a first-round 79 to shoot 70 in the afternoon for a total of 149. He had five birdies. Junior Derek McGlaughlin was 10-over par through 11 holes in the first round before catching fire and rolling in four birdies in his final six holes to shoot 79. He stayed hot in the second round, making five birdies in a round of 71 for a 150 total.
North Georgia, ranked No. 1 nationally in NCAA DII, leads heading into Tuesday's final 18 holes at 14-under par. No. 2 Lincoln Memorial is second at 11-under and No. 6 USC Aiken stands third at -9 after firing 17-under in the second round. No. 42 Union (TN) is fourth at -4. No. 24 Coker is tied for 5th at +5 with No. 32 Wingate.
The Cobras are out front of No. 17 Barton (+9), No. 10 Lander (+16) and No. 3 Grand Valley State (+17).
"I was really proud of how our guys stayed patient in the first round," Hackney said. "We played some outstanding golf in the second round to keep climbing the standings. We plan to keep it going tomorrow if we are able to play since they are calling for an all-day rain."