Pulaski County Middle School rising eighth grader Evan Singleton has been working hard in preparation for the upcoming golf season. This summer, he has been a competitor in the Blue Ridge Junior Golf Tour, a regional golf tournament program that allows students at several age and grade levels compete in tournaments throughout Virginia and West Virginia.
This year, the tournament has 24 tournaments listed on their website, with tournaments taking students to courses like Draper Valley Golf Club, Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech, The Greenbrier Resort, Wytheville Golf Club, Fincastle Country Club, Holston Hills Golf Club, Glade Springs Resort, Tazewell County Country Club, Auburn Hills Golf Club, Blacksburg Country Club, Great Oaks Country Club, and Pipestem Resort State Park.
Singleton, who is 13 years old, competes in the 13–14-year co-ed division of the program. He is currently ranked second overall in that division with 345 points overall in eight tournaments, for an average score of 81.5.
In his eight tournaments, he finished in a first-place tie June 13 at the Pete Dye River Course with a score of 88. He earned a second-place tie at the Draper Valley Golf Course June 20 with a score of 80. He took third place at Fincastle and the Wytheville Golf Club to round out the month of June.
For July, he started with a second-place finish at Glade Springs Resort with an 80 on July 5. July 10, he tied for second at Great Oaks Country Club with a score of 81. July 18 at Pipestem Resort, the final and championship match of the trail, found him earning first place with a score of 80 on the first round and 78 on the second round, giving him a two-match total of 158. The Blue Ridge Junior Golf Tour website also has now listed Singleton as the Sportsmanship Award recipient for the season.
At the championship match at Pipestem, Singleton earned a birdie on a difficult par 3 17th hole to win the age group by a single shot over his friend and fellow competitor, Tyler Stover of Beckley, West Virginia. Jack Herbert of Blacksburg finished third with a score of 163. Mike Bateman of Salem finished fourth with a score of 165.