CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Hunter Vest contemplated where he's going to hang the framed flag he earned Sunday for winning the Cleveland Invitational golf tournament.
He considered his parents' house. He joked about removing the television from its current spot at his residence and putting the memorabilia there so guests would stare at the prize.
Then it hit him -- his office.
Vest, a student assistant coach at Lee University, shares space with coach John Maupin, who shot 148 in the tournament.
"That way Coach will have to see it every day and know that I beat him," Vest joked.
The Lee players can see it, too.
Vest topped Flames junior Taylor Davis and future South Carolina golfer Scott Stevens from Chattanooga Christian in a sudden-death playoff that lasted two holes. Each shot 4-under-par 140 for two rounds of regulation at Cleveland Country Club.
Vest, the eldest of the trio and shortest (in stature and off the tee), had the best round of the day. He shot a 4-under 68 and was the only player in the field to break 70 in the final round.
Stevens, who opened with a 65 on Saturday, shot 75 and Davis shot a 74.
"I felt like if I could shoot a 69 that I'd climb the leaderboard and maybe get to third place," Vest said. "I didn't think there was any way of catching them."
Neil Spitalny won the senior division with an even-par 144 by six strokes over Mike Jenkins.
Vest posted his 4-under score and waited about an hour for Stevens and Davis -- who were joined in the final group by David Watts and Joe Markham Jr. -- to finish their rounds. Watts finished in fourth place with a 144.
"I wasn't great early," said Vest, who shot a 35 on the front nine and a 33 on the back. "I'd save par and had a couple good momentum-savers like on No. 5. I had a lot of good lag putts for two-putt pars."
Vest birdied three holes out of his final nine, then waited to see what would unfold with the others coming in.
A string of four bogeys in a five-hole stretch dropped Stevens to 4 under for the tournament. He and Davis both birdied No. 14. Stevens bogeyed 15 and Davis made a double-bogey on No. 16, which dropped him one off the lead.
"I wasn't paying attention to the scores until about No. 15, and I figured out we were even at that point," Stevens said. "I was trying to hit a couple good shots down the stretch."
Davis responded with better shots. He sank an 8-foot putt on the 175-yard par-3 17th, then escaped from a greenside bunker on No. 18 to save par. Stevens also saved par on 18 from behind the green.
"A lot of confidence can come from this tournament," Stevens said. "I played well yesterday and messed around today."
Once the three 140s were posted on the scoreboard, Cleveland Country Club general manager Lamar Mills sent the players to the first tee for the playoff. They all scored birdied the par-5 hole, with Davis's eagle attempt scaring the cup but ducking away.
Stevens found the right rough on the second hole and then missed the green left and chipped to within about 25 feet of the cup. Three putts later he had his hat in his hand, ready to say goodbye.
Davis rolled his birdie attempt from about 20 just beside the hole and gravity took over, leaving him with a difficult putt to make par. He missed and settled for bogey, setting the stage for Vest.
The putt, "not an easy two-footer," Vest said, traveled a curling path and rattled into the cup for victory.
"There's going to be some random trash-talking," Vest joked. "It's good to get the upper hand on Coach and a couple of the players."
They'll all see the reminder once they see the framed flag.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.