Spartanburg, S.C. – Western Carolina true freshman Jake Peacock tied for Tuesday's lowest final-round score by carding a 4-under par 68 to vault 13 positions in the final standings, posting a third-consecutive Top Five finish to open his collegiate career by placing in a four-way tie for third at the Carolina Collegiate Invitational.
 
Behind Peacock's fifth round of the season carded in the 60s and spurred by seniors Tumi Kúld and Louis Theys climbing 21 and 14 spots, respectively, in the final individual standings based on their final-round play, the Catamounts came home in a two-way tie for seventh place after 54 holes at the par-72, 6,929-yard Carolina Country Club.
 
Peacock carded five birdies against one bogey in Tuesday's final 18 holes. The Milton, Ga., product birdied three holes on the front nine through the morning to make the turn for home at 3-under par. A bogey on the par-4, 416-yard 11th left him 2-under with seven holes to play. Peacock birdied two of his final three holes for the final round 68 and a three-round total of 211.
 
All told, Peacock finished tied for fourth in the tournament field with 14 birdies over the 54-hole event while also pacing the Catamounts with 34 pars.
 
While the freshman was rocketing up the leader board, WCU's two seniors were likewise capping the tournament with their best rounds.
 
Tumi Kúld fired a season-best, 3-under par 69 to advance 21 spots into a tie for 28th overall. Turning for home at 2-over par, the Akureyri, Iceland, native peppered the course with five birdies and four pars over the final nine holes. For Kúld, it was his best round since shooting a career-low 68 last year in the opening round at the Sea Palms Invitational. Louis Theys (65th-t, 231) had his best round of the event with an even-par 72 to move 14 spots in the standings and give his squad a solid counting score. The Villers-Perwin, Belgium native countered a bogey with three consecutive birdies to make the turn at 2-under par. He was poised to carry that to the clubhouse after five straight pars on the back nine but was saddled with back-to-back bogeys on the event's final two holes to leave him at even-par.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five were junior Magnus Pedersen who finished tied for 40th overall after a 2-over par final round 74 for a two-day total of 221 and freshman Kyle Kushnir who finished tied for 62nd overall at 230, closing with a second-straight round of 77. Pedersen capped his tournament with three straight birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18th on Tuesday. He finished with 10 birdies overall while Kushnir carded six.
 
Playing unattached as an individual, junior Quinton Metz advanced a dozen spots in the final individual tally to place 69th overall with a three-round score of 234, shooting his best round of the event on Tuesday with a 2-over par 74. Metz had 10 birdies over the 54-hole tournament.
 
Closing his final round with five consecutive pars, Johnny Travale of UCF held off teammate Luis Carrera, who birdied three of his final six holes, by a stroke, 209-to-210, to claim individual medalist honors. Four golfers finished tied for third, two strokes off the pace.
 
Despite placing three golfers inside the top six overall, UCF could not overtake the leader in the team scoring as High Point edged Florida Gulf Coast by two strokes, 845-to-847, to capture the team title. UCF finished third at 850, slipping one spot on the final day, with Jacksonville (859) and Connecticut (869) rounding out the top five. Tournament co-hosts Wofford and USC Upstate finished ninth and 10th, respectively, with scores of 877 and 885.
 
Western Carolina continues its fall schedule in two weeks as it travels to the Black Creek Club in Chattanooga, Tenn., for the Battle at Black Creek. The three-round event includes 36 holes on Mon., Oct. 25 with the final round on Tues., Oct. 26, with live scoring available online through GolfStat.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's golf and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountMGolf).
 
T7 – Western Carolina – 294 – 298 – 283 = 875
T3 – Jake Peacock – 70 – 73 – 68 = 211 (-5)
T28 – Tumi Kúld – 75 – 74 – 69 = 218 (+2)
T40 – Magnus Pedersen – 73 – 74 – 74 = 221 (+5)
T62 – Kyle Kushnir – 76 – 77 – 77 =230 (+14)
T65 – Louis Theys – 78 – 81 – 72 = 231 (+15)
69 – Quinton Metz – 79 – 81 – 74 = 234 (+18)