May 11, 2002

FURMAN GOLFERS FINISH 13TH AT NCAA EAST REGIONAL

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Furman's Lady Paladin golf team fired a final-round 308 to finish 13th, 10 strokes behind the cutoff for earning a berth to the NCAA Championships, May 21-24 at Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash.

Furman was in a three way tie for eighth with Georgia and Tulane entering the final round, but shot their highest round of the tourney by 10 strokes to drop into 13th with a three-day 903 total. Junior Leigh Turner (Alpharetta, Ga.) carded a team-low 75 on Saturday to finish 60th with a 228 total, while Jennifer Perri (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Brandi Jackson (Belton, S.C.) each shot 76 to place 20th and 45th, respectively. Sarah Johnston (St. Charles, Ill.), who recorded a career-low 69 on Friday, shot a nine-over 81 and placed 66th, while Cimmie Shahan was the team's non-counter after an 85.

The Duke Blue Devils carded an even-par 288 on Saturday to win the East Regional with an 859 total, while Auburn took second at 872, Wake Forest placed third at 875, Florida was fourth at 878, and South Florida rounded out the top five at 883. The Gamecocks of South Carolina placed sixth wtih an 889 total, while Georgia took seventh at 892 and Vanderbilt rounded out the qualifiers with an 893. Individually LSU's Meredith Duncan, the defending U.S. Amateur champion, and South Florida's Janeica Duncombe qualified for the National Championship's individual berths.

Though the Lady Paladins have not qualified for the NCAA Championships since 1999, this marked the first year since 1997 that both the Furman men and women earned bids to regional competition. The Paladins will attempt to qualify for the National Championship next Thursday through Saturday at Settin' Down Creek Golf Course in Roswell, Ga.

Furman Results

20th Jennifer Perri 69-76-76=221

45th Brandi Jackson 73-76-76=225

60th Leigh Turner 77-76-74=228

66th Sarah Johnston 80-69-81=230

103rd Cimmie Shahan 79-84-85=248