Glendale Community College men’s golfer Davis takes sixth in state

Before the season began, Evin Davis didn’t set any lofty expectations for himself.

A freshman on the Glendale Community College men’s golf team, all Davis had in mind was to make a smooth transition after standing out at Pasadena High. Davis probably couldn’t have fathomed that he would qualify for the California Community College Athletic Assn. State Championship.

After sharing the lead following the first round, Davis capped off a superb season by placing sixth at the event Monday at the Victoria Club in Riverside.

“At the start of the season, I was optimistic I could do well,” said Davis, who shot a two-under-par 70 in the first round before finishing with a 74 in the final round for a two-round score of 144 to earn all-state accolades. “I knew I would have to be able to grind it out because you are going up against so many good golfers.

“I wasn’t really thinking about making it to state. I wanted to have a good time and support my teammates.”

Davis tied for fifth with Eric Cross of Riverside, but Cross took fifth in a card-off after shooting three strokes lower during the final round.

Sidney Wells of College of the Canyons shot a 71 and 68 for a 139 to win the individual championship. Riverside won the team competition after it tied with Canyons at 734. However, Riverside won the event in a tiebreaker by virtue of Riverside’s sixth scorer shooting a 78 and Canyons’ athlete posting a 79 in the second round.

Davis found himself in a three-way tie with Johnny Greco of San Jose and Wes Hatton of Riverside for first after the first of two 18-round holes.

“I went out there and made a lot of putts, like I did at the Southern California Regionals [April 28],” Davis said. “I knew I had to grind it out to give myself a chance.

“I didn’t know I was tied on the leaderboard. I was a little hesitant to check the board. It felt good that I did and gave me motivation going into the second round.”

The winds started to become a factor throughout most of the second round for the field of 30.

Davis said he encountered some difficulty putting during parts of the second round.

“I didn’t putt well during the first few holes,” Davis said. “The winds were a challenge and everybody had to play through the same conditions. I found a way to get back into it later on. It was a great experience.”

Glendale college first-year Coach Todd Tyni, who guided the Vaqueros to a fourth-place finish in the Western State Conference, said Davis wrapped up an excellent first season.

“He did an incredible job and he’s always calm,” Tyni said. “He did very well [Monday].

“In the first round, he was rolling in putts and had a nice short game. In the second round, most of the scores went up when the wind became a factor. He got some good experience and it should help make him even better next year.”

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Follow Charles Rich on Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich .