Coker Men's Golf breaks 54-hole mark again, finishes 5th

Hallinger's total of 6-under (67-70-70) on the par-71 layout led to a tie for 6th place in the 108-player field and helped the veteran Cobras eclipse the school's 54-hole scoring record for the second straight tournament. Coker carded rounds of 276-288-283--847 for 5-under par, bettering the mark of 3-under the same fivesome recorded two weeks ago.

Coker finished tied for 5th in a powerhouse field of 20 schools, many of them ranked in the top 25 nationally. North Georgia had a record-shattering performance and ran away with the team team title at 37-under par, one of the best showings in NCAA DII golf history. Lincoln Memorial also played well, shooting 21-under, followed by Georgia Southwestern at 13-under and Carson-Newman at 6-under. Coker and USC Aiken each came in at 5-under, seven shots ahead of 7th-place Belmont Abbey.

"Our group is getting better every week and exhibiting how much talent it has," Coker head coach John Hackney said. "Five years ago, the numbers we are shooting would have won a lot of tournaments, but the golf has just gotten so much better. I told our guys we are capable of going 20-under in a tournament, and I believe it is coming soon."

Hallinger rolled in 12 birdies and one eagle during the event. Super senior Killian Ryan complimented Hallinger with rounds of 70, 71 and 69 for a 3-under total, good for 13th place. Junior Derek McGlaughlin had his best collegiate tournament with rounds of 69-73-72--214 (+1) for 28th place. 

Senior Caleb Tidd carded rounds of 70, 74 and 72 for +3 total of 216 and senior Aaron Teece finished at 72-76-73--221 (+8).

The Cobras notched 46 birdies and two eagles during the event, including 17 in the final round Tuesday.

"Jonathan is really played some sensational golf right now," Hackney said, "and it was great to see Killian starting round into shape. Derek is playing the best golf of his career and hit some great shots this week. All our guys came out hot with an 8-under first round and I was really proud of how we finished while fighting for position late in the tournament, evidenced by four birdies on our final hole."