GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman men's golf team will open the 2025-26 season this weekend in Minnesota. The Paladin team will compete at the 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational at the par 71, 7,464 yard Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minn., while three Furman individuals will play in the Minnesota Golf Classic at the par 72, 6,953 yard Pioneer Creek Golf Course in Maple Plain, Minn.
"We have been so fortunate to start our season at Windsong Farm for the Gopher the last several years," said Furman head coach Matt Davidson, the reigning SoCon Coach of the Year, who is in his eighth year leading the Paladin program. "It is a special golf course and a great event. Depending on the weather, the course can play challenging tee to green. You definitely need to control and strike your ball very well to play well. There is always some extra excitement for the first event, so we will have to do a good job of staying even keel emotionally and just focusing on taking care of one shot at a time. We will let the result take care of itself!"
The 54-hole 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational begins Sunday and will conclude on Monday. Play will begin with two rounds on Sunday starting at 8:02 a.m. ET, with teams going off of No. 1 and No. 10. The Paladins will tee off of No. 10 beginning at 8:15 a.m. ET and will play in a group with South Carolina, Little Rock, and Northern Illinois in Sunday's rounds. Teams will also tee off of No. 1 and No. 10 starting at 8:15 a.m. ET on Monday in the tournament's final round.
Furman will be joined in the 15-team field by host Minnesota, Iowa State, Little Rock, Louisville, Marquette, Miami (OH), Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Rutgers, South Carolina, St. Thomas, Texas A&M, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The Paladin lineup for the 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational includes senior Harris Barth, sophomore Ludvig Josefsson, senior Zach Frazer, senior Clark Akers, and redshirt sophomore Walter Anderson.
Sophomore David Oliver, IV, along with freshmen Benton Manly and Cameron Reed, will compete at the Minnesota Golf Classic on Saturday and Sunday. The Paladin trio will play 18 holes on Saturday beginning at 3 p.m. ET and will conclude with 36 holes on Sunday.
Admission to both of this weekend's tournaments are free and fans are welcome. Live tournament scoring for both events will be available via Scoreboard by clippd.
Last season, Furman received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, where Barth tied for ninth to pace the Paladins. Will Morlan, Akers, and Barth were named to the All-SoCon team, while Josefsson claimed a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman team.
Minuteman Press is the Official Sponsor of Furman Athletics press releases.
