May 19, 2004

PALADINS BEGIN COMPETITION IN WEST REGIONAL

SUNRIVER, Oregon -- Furman’s Paladin golf team will begin competition in the NCAA West Regional on Thursday, May 20, at the Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.

The Paladins will tee of hole No. 1 beginning at 8:12 on Thursday, and are paired with Stanford and UNC Wilmington for the first two rounds.

Furman, which earned a berth in the NCAA postseason with a victory at the Southern Conference Championships, has won three of its last five tournaments and finished second in the other two. The Paladins are led by SoCon medalist Matt Davidson, who enters regionals with a 72.0 season stroke average.

Joining Davidson in the Furman lineup are senior Buddy Davis, sophomore T.J. Blandford, junior Rob Langley, and junior Shane Birckbichler. So far this season the Paladins have recorded nine top 10 finishes and seven top fives. In addition, Davidson took medalist honors at the Furman Intercollegiate and the Southern Conference Championships, and Blandford took second at the LSU Invitational after losing in a playoff.

The Paladins will need a top 10 finish at the West Regional to earn a beth in the National Championships, June 1-4 at The Homestead’s Upper Cascades Course, in Hot Springs, Va. Furman’s last trip to NCAA Regionals came in 2002, when the Paladins finished 21st at Settindown Creek Golf Club in Roswell, Ga. The Paladin team last made the NCAA Championships in 1986, earning 19th at the Bermuda Run Country Club in Fresno, Calif.