KENNESAW, Ga. – Led by Evan Davis' individual title, the Belmont men's golf team moved up three spots and finished runner-up at this week's Pinetree Intercollegiate held at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Davis, a junior from Lexington, Kentucky, entered play on Tuesday with a two stroke lead and he made sure he did not give it up. He carded a final round 68 to capture medalist honors with a 54-hole score of 202 (-14 under par), finishing eight shots ahead of runner-up, Jesus Montenegro of Jacksonville State.
In his final round, Davis posted four birdies, one eagle, and just two bogeys. For the tournament, he led the field in birdies and eagles and ranked third in par three scoring.
It's the second individual title for the fall for Davis. He shared medalist honors at the SIUE Dolenc Invitational last month. In addition, his 54-hole score of 202 ranks fifth all-time in the Division I era, while his -14 score in relation to par is the second lowest in the Division I era.
"This week I really focused on staying in the present and not getting ahead of myself," said Davis. "But the key to this week was my putting. My putter caught fire early on, which allowed me to post a lot of birdies."
As a team, the Bruins posted a final round 293 to move up three spots and finish runner-up with a three round score of 880. It was the third straight event that the squad moved up multiple spots in the final round. They finished two shots behind team champion Jacksonville State and four ahead of third place Mercer.
One other Belmont golfer finished among the top-20. Junior Bogle LaRue shot a final round 74 to finish in a tie for 14th place at 222. It was his second straight top-20 finish.
Other Belmont scores from the event included: junior Jack Uselton (T-28, 228), freshman Kohl Kuebler (T-28, 228), and freshman Luke Whitney (T-52, 236).
This tournament wraps up the fall season for the men's golf team. In five events, they posted three top-five finishes and 10 top-20 individual finishes. They will kickoff their spring season on February 17-18 at the GWU President's Day Match Play Invitational in Florida.
