GREENSBORO, Ga. – Will Morlan (-9) fired a final-round 65 to finish third and help the Furman (-21) men's golf team to a third-place finish Tuesday in the final day of competition at the 2023 Southern Conference Championship at the par 72, 7,174 yard The Oconee Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga.

The 59th-ranked Paladins led the field with a 275 on Tuesday, marking the fourth-best round in the history of the Furman program.  Furman led the field with three eagles and ranked third with 56 birdies, while the Paladins tied for second with a 4.57 average on the par 5s and ranked third with a 4.06 average on the par 4s.

Morlan, who hails from Alpharetta, Ga., played a flawless final round.  He birdied three of his first four holes and added a birdie on No. 9 to turn at 4-under.  On the back, Morlan birdied No. 14 and eagled the par-5 No. 17 to finish the day at 2-under.  He finished seven strokes behind winner Mats Ege (-14) of ETSU, who won the individual championship by four strokes.

Senior Sam Lape (-6) of Atlanta, Ga., also finished among the top 5 after carding a 68 with a team-high six birdies on Tuesday.  He birdied three out of four holes from No. 14 through No. 17 to tie for fifth.  Freshman Harris Barth (+1) shot a 70 with three birdies on the front and one on the back to tie for 16th, and senior Walker Crosby (+3) recorded an even 72 with five birdies, including four on the front, tying for 22nd.  Senior Ross Funderburke (+7) tied for 33rd after tallying an 80 on Tuesday. 

"My assistant coach, James Bartlett, and I are so proud of the team and effort of each of our players this year," said Furman head coach Matt Davidson.  "To end it the right way, with a great round today, felt amazing.  It looks like there will be more golf to play for us this year at NCAAs, so the guys are definitely starting to peak at the right time."

No. 34 East Tennessee State (-30) won the tournament by five strokes over 47th-ranked Chattanooga (-25) to earn the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA regionals.

Furman is also in position for a bid to the NCAA Regionals, which will be held May 15-17.  The NCAA field will be announced live on the Golf Channel on Wed., May 3, at 1 p.m.

3 Furman 277 291 275 843 -21

3 Will Morlan (1) 70 72 65 207 -9

T5 Sam Lape (3) 70 72 68 210 -6

T16 Harris Barth (4) 67 80 70 217 +1

T22 Walker Crosby (5) 73 74 72 219 +3

T33 Ross Funderburke (2) 70 73 80 223 +7