Being consistent wins events in the majority of athletic contests and that is exactly what the Lee men's golf team displayed in claiming the 2014 Aflac Cougar Invitational hosted by Columbus State.
After firing consecutive rounds of 284 during 36 holes of play on Monday, the Flames turned in a 283 on Tuesday and the final 851 total was one stroke better than the 852 posted by Gulf South Conference rival, West Georgia.
It took solid play up and down the lineup plus some late heroics by Peyton Sliger to give Lee the championship in a field loaded with GSC and NCAA Division II powers from around the southeast.
Sophomore Taylor Davis paced the Flames for the second straight day.
After recording rounds of 72-68 on Monday, Davis came back with a 69 on Tuesday and his 208 total was five strokes under par and good enough for a tie for third place in the medalist competition.
However, it was the play of Matt Strube (72-74-68, 213) and Sliger (73-70-73, 216) that drew special praise from coach John Maupin.
"I'm so happy for Matt and the round he gave us today," said Maupin. "He really showed what he's capable of. Also, I have to give Peyton a lot of credit for battling back; he made birdies on three of the last four holes to help get us in position to finish. It was just a great team effort and now we'll look to build on it for the next one."
The coach went on to single out the effort turned in by Davis in the early fall tournaments. "Taylor had yet another strong performance. He's really coming into his own and doing a fantastic job of managing his rounds."
First at Columbus -- front left: Matt Strube, Peyton Sliger, Adam Wright, Corey Sheppard and Taylor David
While the Flames were finishing first and West Georgia second, host Columbus State (855) was third, Lander (S.C.) placed fourth (857) and Florida Tech, fifth (859) in the 16-team field.
Florida Southern's John Coultas captured the medalist crown after firing a -10 score of 203. Henry Gee (Clayton State) was second (206), while Davis and Ray Badenhorst (Florida Tech) tied for third.
Strube finished tied for 11th and Sliger placed 21st. He was followed by Corey Sheppard (71-74-73, 218). Adam Wright rounded out Lee's consistent play with a 71-72-77, 220).
"We were locked in a tight battle with some great teams this week," pointed out Maupin. "We are very excited to walk away with the win. This is about as strong a field as we will see all year. It gives us a lot of confidence moving forward.
"We did a great job of closing this week. Anytime you finish strong, you have a chance to pick up some shots and we were able to do that. We have a relatively young team. This kind of experience will really help our growth.
"I would like to thank the Country Club of Columbus, Columbus State, and Coach Immelmann for hosting us this week. It's a first class event and we were happy to get to be a part of the tournament."
The Flames will begin their effort to repeat as NCCAA national champions when they take part in the NCCAA Region next Monday and Tuesday.