Furman eighth at Darius Rucker Intercollegiate

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Sophomore Taylor Totland (E) carded a 74 to tie for sixth place to lead the 20th-ranked Furman women’s golf team Saturday in the second round of the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate at the par-71, 6,221-yard Long Cove Club.

Totland, a native of Tinton Falls, N.J, parred the first five holes then birdied No. 6, making the turn even and finishing the day seven strokes back of Duke’s Leona Maguire Gabriella (-4), who carded a tournament-record 65 on Saturday to lead all individuals by one stroke heading into the final round of play.

Junior Valentina Romero (+6) notched consecutive birdies on No. 5 and No. 6 then scored an additional birdie on No. 12 to enter Sunday’s final round tied for 21st, while rookie Alice Chen (+2) led the Paladins with a 73 in the second round with a birdie on No. 6 and back-to-back birdies on No. 15 and No. 16. She is tied for 45th after two rounds.

Paladin freshman Reona Hirai (+11) scored three birdies on the front to card a 77 on Saturday, tying for 52nd, while fellow freshman Jacqueline Bendrick (+13) is tied for 62nd after birdieing No. 18 to card a 76 in the second round.

No. 6 Duke (+8) leads No. 8 LSU (+9) by one stroke entering Sunday’s final round. No. 3 Southern California (+13), No. 9 Mississippi State (+23), and No. 2 South Carolina (+24) complete the top five. No. 16 Tennessee (+26) is sixth, while No. 12 Wake Forest (+28) sits in seventh place. The Paladins (+29) moved up one spot after Saturday’s round to enter Sunday’s play in eighth place.

The final round of the 54-hole tournament, which features 11 of the last 14 national champions and 12 teams ranked among the top 20 in the latest Golfstat rankings, begins Sunday at 8 a.m. The Paladins tee off of No. 1 at 8 a.m. to begin the final round.