HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Furman shot a 16-over-par 304 in Tuesday’s final round to move 19 strokes clear of Mercer and claim the team title at the 2023 Southern Conference Women’s Golf Championship, which was contested at Moss Creek Golf Club’s par-72, 6,036-yard South course. The Paladins’ Anna Morgan was the only player to finish under par for the tournament, claiming the individual title at 2-under 214.
 
Furman clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA regionals with its championship win. The NCAA field will be announced live on Wednesday, April 26, at 1 p.m. (ET), on the Golf Channel.
 
The Paladins led throughout the tournament en route to their 20^th SoCon title. Morgan sat atop the individual leaderboard all tournament and her performance was the lowest score by any SoCon golfer during a championship played at Moss Creek Golf Club. The senior from Spartanburg, South Carolina, is Furman’s 18^th individual champion.
 
Furman freshman Chloe Johnson finished the tournament in second place on the individual leaderboard. Johnson moved up two spots on the final day by shooting an even-par 72 in the final round to finish the championship with an overall score of 218. Mercer’s Kate Song finished one shot back from Johnson to place third, while Western Carolina’s Madison Isaacson shot a 223 and ETSU’s Hollie Muse shot 227 to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
 
Mercer came in second place after shooting a 913. The Bears were tied for third place after the first round before a strong second round moved the squad into second place on day two before Mercer cruised to a runner-up finish. Western Carolina held steady to finish in third place after shooting a 926.
 
ETSU finished fourth with a 934 behind Muse’s top-5 finish. Wofford finished one shot back of ETSU to come in fifth place. The Terriers were led by Nicole Amos, who finished tied for eighth after shooting a 15-over 231 for the tournament. Samford shot a 949 to place sixth despite not having an individual performer in the top 10 as the Bulldogs had a pair of golfers, Bailey Dunstan and Kelley Topiwala, tied for 14^th with a score of 234 to lead the team.
 
Chattanooga climbed up one spot during the final round to finish seventh in the team standings. The 2022 individual champion, Dorota Zalewska, had the best individual finish for the Mocs as she tied with Dunstan and Topiwala.
 
UNCG placed eighth behind the efforts of Grace Holcomb and Ava Romfo. Holcomb tied for sixth on the individual leaderboard, while Romfo place eighth individually. The Citadel rounded out the team standings.
 
Furman’s Caroline Crumrine claimed the SoCon Pinnacle Award, which goes to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team.