Kocher, who is entering his junior year of school at the University of Maryland, started the second round of competition with a commanding five-stroke lead after 67-64=131 (-11) on the par-71 layout. He birdied the first two holes but took a tough double- bogey on the par-3 third hole after pulling a shot out of bounds. Two holes later, Jerry Haas, PGA Men’s Golf Coach at Wake Forest University, closed the gap to two strokes with an eagle on the drivable par-4 fifth hole and a birdie on the par-5 sixth. However, that was as close as it got. Kocher was able to string enough solid holes together to eventually regain the original five- stroke. A final round of 34-36=70 (-1) gave him a total of 201 (-12).
Haas and amateur Tyler Lucas of Rock Hill, SC finished tied for second at 206 (-7). Haas earned the low PGA Professional honors.
Of the 168 competitors who represented the top- playing PGA Professionals and amateurs in North and South Carolina, 64 players survived the 36-hole cut at +5. The amateur field played extremely well with 37 of them making it to the final round.
