OPELIKA, Ala. – UNCG senior men's golfer Taylor Coalson (Dobson, N.C./North Surry) and junior Jake McGlone (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin) came from behind to win the individual title at the Tiger Invitational held a the Grand National Lake Course hosted by Auburn and Jason Dufner. Their play helped the No. 68 Spartans move up to third place overall in the challenging field.
Coalson and McGlone notched their first-ever career victories by finishing in a tie for first place overall at 3-under par 213, winning by a stroke over three other golfers tied for third at 2-under par 214. The victory is the top finish for both golfers in their career, surpassing a second-place showing by Coalson last year at the Auto Trader Intercollegiate and a third place finish by McGlone at the Southern Conference Championships.
Coalson opened the event with a 4-over par 76 in round one before catching fire on the final two days of the event. He carded a 3-under par 69 in round two before posting his lowest round of the year so far at 4-under par 68 Tuesday. His final round included three birdies, a bogey and an eagle-3 on the par-5 522-yard No. 12. Additionally, he closed out the event with six straight pars down the stretch to head into the clubhouse with the lead. He posted 33 par scores and 12 birdies in the 54-hole event.
McGlone was consistent all week long, opening with a 2-under par 70 in round one before posting a 1-over par 73 in round two. He pulled into the lead with a 2-under par 70 in round three, posting five birdies on the day. He closed his final round by notching a birdie on holes No. 16 and No. 18 to pull into a tie with Coalson. He was second overall in the event with 15 total birdies in the 54-hole outing.
Their play helped the Spartans notch their fourth top three finish of the season and the fifth top five showing of the year. UNCG moved up to third place overall with a 14-over par 878 score after three rounds (30-293-285). The Spartans' 285 score in the final round is their lowest third round score of the year. No. 67 Troy won the event with a 2-under par 862 while No. 5 Auburn was second at 1-over par 865.
Freshmen Bryce Hendrix (Greenville, N.C./D.H. Conley) moved up 28 spots on the leaderboard in the final round of play. He finished tied for 45th overall at 11-over par 227. Hendrix opened the week with a 5-over par 76 before posting a 9-over par 81 Monday. He carded his lowest round of the year Tuesday, recording a 2-under par 70 with five birdies, three bogeys and 11 par scores.
Senior Luke Haithcock (Burlington, N.C./Williams) finished tied for 63rd overall as he was 15-over par 231. Haithcock posted scores of 79-75-77 on the week, including finishing the event with a birdie on hole No. 18 Tuesday. Sophomore Josh Stockwell (Aberdeen, N.C./Southern Pines) rounded out the lineup with a 17-over par 233 (78-76-79) to finish in a tie for 71st overall.
Joining the Spartans in the 18-team field include No. 5 Auburn (two teams), No. 25 Kentucky, Troy, Kennesaw State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, VCU, Georgia State, UNCW, Southeastern Louisiana, Kansas State, South Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Jacksonville State and Tulsa.
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