GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman men's golf team will open the spring season Saturday and Sunday at the 49th Gators Invitational at the par 70, 6,701 yard Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla.
"The first event of the spring is always one of the most anticipated and exciting tournaments," said Furman head coach Matt Davidson, the reigning SoCon Coach of the Year, who is in his eighth year leading the Paladin program. "Even with some rough weather at times, we still got in enough solid practice and qualifying, and the guys are certainly ready to go. Mark Bostick Golf Course is similar to Furman, as it is very fair tee to green, but presents challenges on and around the greens. Approach play and putting will be at a premium. We can't wait to get the spring season rolling down there."
Furman's lineup for the tournament includes senior Harris Barth, senior Zach Frazer, senior Clark Akers, freshman Benton Manly, and freshman Cameron Reed.
The Paladins will be joined in the 18-team field by host Florida, which ranks tenth nationally, No. 2 Auburn, 20th-ranked Charlotte, Chattanooga, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Southern, Indiana, Jacksonville, Liberty, No. 21 Notre Dame, 12th-ranked Oklahoma State, Penn State, UCF, North Florida, South Florida, and West Virginia.
This weekend's field includes the last three national champions, eight teams that qualified for last season's NCAA regionals, including three regional championship from 2025, and four teams that reached the 2025 national championship.
The 54-hole tournament begins with a 7:20 a.m. modified shotgun start on Saturday. The Paladins will tee off on No. 13 in Saturday's two rounds and will play in a group with Florida Atlantic and Central Florida. Sunday's round is tentatively slated for 8 a.m., due to predicted inclement weather in the Gainesville area.
Admission to the tournament is free and fans are welcome. Live tournament scoring will be available via Scoreboard by clippd.
Furman opened the 2025-26 season at the Gopher Invitational, where Akers and Frazer each shot 4-over to tie for 20th. The Paladins surged into eighth place as a team after recording a final-round 284. Barth then won the individual title at the Bearcat Invitational, marking the first individual victory of his career, with scores of 67-69-68=204, and led Furman with a sixth-place finish at SMU's Trinity Forest Invitational. The Paladins closed out the fall with a fifth-place finish at the Furman Intercollegiate.
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