St. Simons Island, Ga. -- The Mariners of NAIA Hall of Fame head coach Mike Cook finished tied for third overall at the 15-team College of Coastal Georgia Men's Golf Fall Invitational held Monday and Tuesday, September 14th-15th, at Sea Palms.
 
Over 54 holes at the par-71 course, the Mariners compiled a collective score of -5 under par, ending tied for the second-best showing of any team in any round with a round two total of -11 on Monday afternoon. Coastal Georgia senior Antonio Juarbe ranked in the top ten individually, finishing the event three-under.
 
"It was the first tournament of the year. I felt like we were a top three team in this tournament. After about five or six holes today we were 15 under, making a move, we got within ten shots. But we didn't hold it together, we lost it," Cook explained. "Final rounds have not been good at Coastal the last year or two and this team has to play good on the final round to win a championship. They'll have some good rounds, though, like yesterday they showed something in that second round. But like in football, you've got to play in fourth quarter. As of late, this team has not finished that fourth quarter. If they learn to do that, then we'll have something."
 
Second-round play proved to be a complete team showcase for the Mariners, with freshman Cane Carver, sophomore Ethan Arnold, senior Finley Burke, sophomore Gates Glanton and junior Griffin Blount, along with Juarbe, all ending under par.
 
"Individually, Antonio had a solid tournament, top ten. Freshman Cane Carver, his first tournament, had a good round yesterday with 66, which is promising. Griffin Blount is starting to play better, he finished 11^th, he's coming on. And I think Gates Glanton is pretty solid. So I've got three or four that are solid," Cook recapped. "I'm looking for one more clean-up guy."
 
Overall, Coastal Georgia was one of just four teams to finish under par for the tournament.
 
Reinhardt, at -27, was the low team finisher at the event, while Alex Nordstrom of Blue Mountain was the low individual medalist at -12.
 
It was a busy few days for Coastal Georgia, which also played second-ranked rival Dalton State in a showcase match-play event Saturday afternoon at Frederica. That pairing was ultimately shortened due to inclement weather.
 
Coastal Georgia will resume competition on September 28th-29th with The Invite at Innisbrook, hosted by Dalton State, at the Innisbrook/Copper Head Course in Tarpon Springs, Fl.