GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Furman sophomore Harris Barth (-2) is tied for 16th to lead the Paladins after Friday's first two rounds of the Gators Invitational, which is being hosted by Florida at the par 70, 6,701 yard Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla.
A native of Atlanta, Ga., Barth birdied two of his first five holes in round one then added a birdie on No. 9 to sit at even par with one hole to play. He eagled the par-5 No. 12 to conclude the round with a 2-under 68. Barth carded an even 70 with three birdies in round two and sits seven strokes back of leader Ian Gillian (-9) of Florida, who posted rounds of 69-62=131 in the first day of play.
Junior Will Morlan (E) shot a 69 with four birdies, including consecutive birdies on No. 6 and No. 7, in round one and tallied a 1-over 71 with birdies on No. 7 and No. 14 in the day's second round. He enters the final round tied for 21st.
Seniors Ross Funderburke (+3) and Walker Crosby (+3) are tied for 39th after Friday's rounds. Funderburke shot a 72 with four birdies in round one then notched a 71 with a team-high five birdies in the second round. He scored back to back birdies on No. 11 and No. 12, his final two holes of the day. Crosby shot an even 70 with three birdies in round one then posted a 73 with birdies on No. 5 and No. 13 in round two.
Senior Demi De Matteo (+8) is tied for 69th after scoring a 74 in each of Friday's round. In the first round, he had consecutive birdies on No. 2 and No 3 then added an additional birdie on No. 12. In the day's final round, he birdied No. 12.
Host Florida (-22), which ranks 23rd nationally, holds a two-stroke lead over the field after two rounds. The Gators' B team (-20) is in second place, while 26th-ranked North Florida (-11) sits in third. Furman (+4) is in seventh place, ahead of Power 5 teams Kentucky (+7), West Virginia (+7), UCF (+8), Nebraska (+14), and Penn State (+18).
Furman, which posted a 1-over 279 in round one, ranks fourth with a 4.67 scoring average on the par 5s. The Paladins are tied for fourth with 30 birdies in the first two rounds.
The final round of the 54-hole tournament is slated for Saturday at 7:30 a.m. The Paladins will tee off of No. 10 in the round's modified shotgun start and will play in a group with Liberty and Kentucky.
Admission to the tournament is free and fans are welcome. Results and live tournament scoring are available via http://www.FurmanPaladins.com and http://www.golfstat.com.
7 Furman 279 285 564 +4
T16 Harris Barth (4) 68 70 138 -2
T21 Will Morlan (1) 69 71 140 E
T39 Ross Funderburke (2) 72 71 143 +3
T39 Walker Crosby (3) 70 73 143 +3
T69 Demi Di Matteo (5) 74 74 148 +8
