Virginia Golfer Jul / Aug 2016 | Page 42

MyTURN by JIM DUCIBELLA I t started with a phone call from Virginia Beach to Kentucky. It ended with a phone call from Virginia Beach to the same Bluegrass state. In between, Virginia Wesleyan coach Bryan Hearn and golfer Evan Cox crafted an extraordinary story of coaches and their players, one that could have a Hollywood ending should Cox steer his career where he’d like it to go. And that’s far beyond the NCAA Division III national championship Cox won in a thrilling three-way playoff on May 12. But let’s back up a couple of years. Hearn had just finished his first season as Marlins’ coach and needed players. Scrolling through an Internet recruiting site, he found Cox. The kid was a terrific baseball player, he noted, one whose innings pitched o