Furman, Harford wins Minnesota Invitational

MINNEAPOLIS – No. 16 Furman (+18) tied for the team title and sophomore Haylee Harford (-1) tied for individual medalist honors Tuesday in the final round of the Minnesota Invitational at the par-72, 6,119-yard Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Paladins entered the day tied for fifth place and led the field with a 2-under 286 to finish in a tie for first with Purdue (+18). Texas (+27), who held a one-stroke lead after Monday’s two rounds of play, finished third, while Wisconsin (+28) was fourth and TCU (+31) completed the top five.

Harford, who hails from Leavittsburg, Ohio, played flawless golf on Tuesday, firing a 68 with a team-high four birdies to tie for individual medalist honors with Isabelle Johansson (-1) of Kentucky. The duo had a two-stroke advantage on the rest of the field with two-day totals of 215.

Furman junior Alice Chen (+2) also put together a flawless round on Tuesday to tie for fifth place. Chen finished the day with a 1-under 71 after birdieing No. 17. Junior Taylor Totland (+8) carded a 74 with two birdies on the back to tie for 17th, and rookie Natalie Srinivasan (+14) scored a 1-over 73 to tie for 36th. Srinivasan posted three birdies in the final round, including back-to-back birdies on No. 15 and No. 16. Junior Jacqueline Bendrick (+15) tied for 38th after birdieing No. 2 to score a 79.

Junior Reona Hirai (+8), who played as an individual, tied for 17th with a final-round 75. Hirai carded consecutive birdies on No. 9 and No. 10 in Tuesday’s final round.

The Paladins return home to compete in the Lady Paladin Invitational in Greenville, South Carolina, Sept. 23-25.