GREENVILLE, S.C. – Sophomore Keller Harper (E) fired a second-round 69 to tie for 21st place to lead the Furman men’s golf team Saturday at the 49th Furman Intercollegiate at the par-72, 6,994-yard Furman University Golf Course.
Harper, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, scored five birdies in Saturday’s round, including consecutive birdies on No. 2 and No. 3 and again on No. 10 and 11. He enters Sunday’s final round seven strokes back of individual leader Phillip Knowles (-7), who leads the field with rounds of 66-17=137.
Junior Connor Bruns (+2) and sophomores Garrison Hogan (+2) and Scott Purvis are tied for 28th after two rounds of play. Bruns carded a 72 with back-to-back birdies on No. 2 and No. 3 and an additional birdie on No. 6, while Hogan also added a 72 with three birdies in Saturday’s round. Purvis scored a 74 with three birdies. Sophomore Jake Reilly (+11) shot a 77 with three birdies to enter Sunday’s final round in 106th place.
Six Paladins are playing as individuals. Sophomore Matt Lehman (-5) fired a 65 to lead all individuals on Saturday and is tied for second place heading into the final round. Sophomore Stephen Reynolds (+2) is tied for 28th after carding a 75 in the second round. He eagled the par-5 No. 6 and added birdies on No. 2 and No. 11.
Junior Adam Garrett (+4) notched three birdies for an even 72 to finish in a tie for 44th, and senior Hunter Nichols (+5) added a 78 with a birdie on No. 11 to tie for 48th. Junior Clayte Hubbard (+6) is tied for 55th after scoring a 77 with a birdie on No. 14 on Saturday, and junior Raj Ghosh (+13) shot a 76 with a birdie on No. 9 to tie for 104th.
No. 28 North Florida (-13) extended its lead to 10 strokes following two rounds of play. West Virginia (-3) moved up into second place, followed by 10th-ranked USC Aiken (+1) in third. Yale (+2) is in fourth place, and Virginia Tech (+4) completes the top five. Gardner-Webb (+5) ranks sixth, followed by the Paladins (+6) in seventh.
Second-round play was suspended at 6:40 p.m. due to lightning in the area. One pairing was still on the course, and the group will finish beginning at 9 a.m. on Sunday. The 54-hole tournament will conclude with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start on Sunday. Furman will tee off of holes Nos. 4-6 and will play in groups with Yale, Virginia Tech and Gardner-Webb.