PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The University of North Georgia (UNG) has its fourth National Championship in school history. It belongs to junior men's golfer Hunter Smith. 

After completing the 54-holes of stroke play in the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championship at 6-under par, Smith led the 108-player field by a single shot, securing the 2025 Individual National Championship honors. 

Smith became the second individual national champion in North Georgia history with the outstanding victory Wednesday, joining 2021 NCAA Pole Vault National Champion Journey Gurley.

With the first victory of his collegiate career, the junior from Athens, Ga. was immediately elevated to and announced as a Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) 2025 NCAA DII PING First Team All-American, becoming the 10th all-american in school history. 

The National Championship started for Smith as it did for the rest of the Nighthawks, on a relatively quiet note. He opened the week with a 1-under 71 on Monday. He finished in a tie for sixth place as the only UNG golfer below par on the first day. 

Tuesday, the second day of the tournament often referred to as "moving day", was when Smith did just that. The second-year Nighthawk carded a one-bogey, four-birdie 67 as he finished the round with his only eagle of the tournament at the par-5 18th hole.

At 6-under after 36 holes, Smith was tied for the tournament lead heading into the final day. 

On Wednesday, Smith did just enough to hang on to his lead and secure the championship. With birdies at 5 and 10, he lowered his score to 8-under heading into "The Bear Trap", the nickname given to the three-hole stretch of 15, 16 and 17 at the Jack Nickalus designed PGA National, widely considered one of the hardest finishing stretches on the PGA Tour. 

The Bear Trap got Smith with a bogey at 15, but he parred 16 and 17 before one more bogey at 18 to finish the round. 

Smith finished with the clubhouse lead but would have to sit and wait for other players behind him to finish. 

A frenzy of the top golfers in the nation were gunning for him, but none could survive The Bear Trap. As bogeys filled the cards of those chasing Smith, at the end of the day he saw his name all alone atop the leaderboard. 

With all scorecards counted, and the stroke play format of the tournament complete, it was official. Hunter Smith was a National Champion. 

He was greeted by his giddy teammates next to the 18th green as they ambushed him with a water bottle shower when the word was official. 

This was not supposed to happen. Not on paper at least. While Smith has been a key piece for the Nighthawks in his last two seasons in Dahlonega, he's been overshadowed for accolades in that time. 

"I didn't even realize it was his first college win until right before we thought it might happen," said head coach Bryson Worley. "He wasn't all-conference, he wasn't all-region, and now he's an individual national champion, first one in school history. That's pretty dang cool." 

The hard work, long range sessions, countless hours of practice and tireless preparation paid off for Smith on Wednesday. This victory was a long time coming and he finally earned it on the biggest stage of his career.

"It couldn't have happened to a better kid. He works so hard, does everything the right way. He's such a team guy. For him to win is just huge. [I'm] just super happy for him," said Worley after the round.

In a sport as individualized as golf, it can be hard to understand the importance team chemistry and group camaraderie plays on success. That support can be uplifting and a rallying cry behind the chase for a trophy. 

"To see his teammates be so happy for him was just awesome," said Worley. 

It is largely because of Smith that those same teammates will continue their search for a team National Championship at PGA National this week.

Led by Smith's scoring, the Nighthawks as a whole finished in fifth-place among the 20-team field at 5-over par. 

Senior Hughes Threlkeld had the best final round of any UNG golfer as he closed with a 3-under 69 that included six birdies and a bogey-free back nine. Threlkeld finished in a tie for 26th place with fellow senior Ethan Day who shot a final-round 72 on Wednesday as the duo closed the tournament at 2-over individually. 

With a 1-over 73 on Wednesday, sophomore Colby Bennett landed in 40th place on the individual leaderboard. 

Finishing among the top eight teams, UNG advanced to the match play portion of the National Championship Wednesday. The eight-team, medal match play bracket is seeded according to the top eight finishes in the stroke play portion of the tournament. 

The top-seeded defending National Champions and No. 1 ranked Colorado Christian (CCU)  Cougars will face eighth seeded No. 6 Oklahoma Christian (OCU) in Thursday's quarterfinal match. 

Second-seeded No. 2 West Florida squares off with seventh-seeded No. 16 St. Mary's (TX) while third-seeded No. 18 Missouri S&T will play sixth-seeded No. 14 Wingate.

The Nighthawks will have to get past fourth-seeded and No. 9 Florida Southern in order to advance to the National Semifinals. Should they do so, they will face the winner of CCU and OCU Thursday afternoon with a chance to return to the National Championship for the second consecutive season. 

UNG's match tee times for Thursday are as follows:

8:20 a.m. - Colby Bennett vs. Tyler Mistretta
8:30 a.m. - Jack Vajda vs. Jaylen Abass
8:40 a.m. - Ethan Day vs. Colton Swartz
8:50 a.m. - Hughes Threlkeld vs. Freddie Parlby
9:00 a.m. - Hunter Smith vs. Max Barile