PHOTOS: SEC coaches play golf for charity

It was a rare sight on a grassy green surface, but Alabama coach Nick Saban finished second on Tuesday.

Paired with former Tide running back Mark Ingram, Saban shot nine under at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Golf Challenge, finishing second in a 13-team field to Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets team knocked off Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina State in a playoff after the four teams all finished in an 18-hole tie at minus-9.

Alabama made a bogey on the fourth playoff hole as Georgia Tech won the event for the fourth time in five years, claiming a prize of $100,000 to redistribute.

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier, Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze, Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn also participated in the best-ball two-man tournament at Reynolds Plantation resort on Lake Oconee in Georgia.

The golfers competed for a share of the $500,000 prize pool, part of which will be earmarked toward endowed scholarships at the participating universities. The coaches get to choose which charity will receive another portion of the money.

RESULTS

1. Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson, Jon Barry): -9 (playoff 1); $100,000

2t. Alabama (Nick Saban, Mark Ingram): -9 (playoff 2); $65,000

2t. South Carolina (Steve Spurrier, Sterling Sharpe): -9 (playoff 3); $50,000

2t. N.C. State (Dave Doeren, Terry Harvey): -9 (playoff 4); $45,000

5t. Arizona (Rich Rodriguez, Kenny Lofton): -8; $40,000

5t. Maryland (Randy Edsall, Scott McBrien): -8; $40,000

7t. Ohio State (Urban Meyer, Jeff Logan): -7; $30,000

7t. Ole Miss (Hugh Freeze, Sean Tuohy): -7; $30,000

9. Miss. State (Dan Mullen, Fred McCrary): -5; $20,000

10. Auburn (Gus Malzahn, Bo Jackson): -3; $20,000

11. Clemson (Dabo Swinney, Steve Fuller): -1; $20,000

12t. Cincinnati (Tommy Tuberville, Kevin Huber): +2; $20,000

12t. North Carolina (Larry Fedora, Roy Williams): +2; $20,000

From left to right (top down): Gus Malzahn (Auburn), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech), Bo Jackson (Auburn), Jon Barry (Georgia Tech), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Steve Fuller (Clemson), Randy Edsall (Maryland), Jeff Long (Ohio State), Urban Meyer (Ohio State), Dave Doeren (N.C. State), Terry Harvey (N.C. State), Sterling Sharpe (South Carolina), Dan Mullen (Mississippi State), Tommy Tuberville (Cincinnati), Fred McCrary (Mississippi State), Mark Ingram (Alabama) and Gary Stokan (Photo courtesy of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl)

SKILLS CHALLENGE

The SEC may not have won the overall tournament, but Gus Malzahn, Hugh Freeze and Bo Jackson each won an award during Monday’s skills challenge.

Malzahn won the closest to the pin contest among the coaches, getting within 7 feet and 9 inches of the pin from 98 yards out.

Jackson, known for his outsized muscles as an NFL and MLB star, crushed a drive 331.5 yards to outdistance all celebrities, while Freeze beat out all coaches with a drive of 287 yards.

“It’s about time I win it. I’ve finished second every year here,” Freeze told SDS. “I finally got one out there that won it, so that’s exciting.”