GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman head men's golf coach Matt Davidson announced today the hiring of James Bartlett as the team's assistant coach.  

"James brings experience from coaching both the men and women at Lander," said Davidson.  "He has a very solid background in player development, which will be a big asset to us in the coming years.  Most importantly, he will be someone that the students can look to as a great example and will be able to assist them in so many ways both on and off the course.  We are excited to have James join our program and cannot wait to see the benefits he will bring immediately and once we start competing this spring."

Bartlett has served as the assistant men's and women's golf coach at Lander since 2018.  During the 2019-20 campaign, both the men's and women's teams earned tournament victories, with the women tallying three top-five finishes and the men notching two.  In Bartlett's first season as assistant coach, the women's team secured three top-five finishes and the men placed among the top five on four occasions.  On the men's side, Jon Parker qualified as an individual for the 2019 NCAA South/Southeast Regional.  Bartlett also has prior experience as an assistant golf professional at Greenwood Country Club.

A four-year letter winner on the Lander men's golf team from 2014-18, Bartlett won individual medalist honors at the 2015 Pfeiffer Invitational with rounds of 68 and 73 and led the Bearcats to three team victories.  He helped Lander to a national ranking of sixth in 2016-17, the highest in program history. 

"I cannot thank Coach Davidson enough for giving me the opportunity to work alongside him," said Bartlett.  "In the short time I have spent with the people at Furman, I can already tell that they are all pushing for success for the team both on and off the course, and the program has a culture that I cannot wait to be a part of.  

"I am really looking forward to learning from Matt, someone who has played at the highest level and who has already had a lot of success coaching at Furman," continued Bartlett.  "The current players have had some very impressive results and have improved massively since joining the program, and I believe I can add to that success, bring some new ideas to the team, and continue to help them succeed!"

Bartlett, a native of Brockenhurst, England, earned a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology from Lander in 2018.