By Colleen O’Connell
Three Coastal Georgia men’s golfers were among those selected as semifinalists for the NAIA Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Monday. Lauri Hacklin, Mark David Johnson, and Kyle Kidd were among the 30 golfers to be named a semifinalist.
Hacklin ranks No. 12 nationally with a 72.38 scoring average. He’s had four rounds under par this spring, including a season-low 4-under 68 during last week’s The Sun Conference Championships Round Three. He finished second on the player leaderboard at the USCB Sand Shark Invitational Mar. 5-6 with a 3-under 213 (75 + 69 + 69).
In his first year as a Mariner, Johnson has two individual titles under his belt – the 8th Annual Coastal Georgia Winter Invitational and The Sun Conference Championships. As a result of winning the conference tournament last week, Johnson has already qualified for the NAIA Championships that are in May. Johnson ranks No. 9 nationally with a 72.20 scoring average. He tied Coastal Georgia’s lowest round to par record during the spring’s first competition by shooting a 7-under 65 at the 8th Annual Coastal Georgia Winter Invitational. He’s carded seven rounds under par thus far.
Kidd ranks No. 26 nationally, averaging 73.16 for his score. He’s carded six rounds of par-or-lower, including a season-low 3-under during Round One at the Georgetown College Invitational. He’s finished in the Top 5 in three competitions this season, including the 8th Annual Coastal Georgia Winter Invitational, the Georgetown College Invitational and the Tri-Match that feature play against NCAA Division I and Division II golfers.
Finalists for the NAIA Nicklaus Player of the Year Award presented by Barbasol will be announced on May 10. Award recipients will be named on May 31 with Jack Nicklaus presenting the honor during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
(Story originally appeared on CoastalGeorgiaSports.com.)