Aug. 2, 2007
Greenville, S.C. -
Both the Furman men's and women's golf programs have been rated among the top 20 in the country according to the 2007-08 Golf Digest College Guide, released earlier this week.
The Golf Digest College Guide is designed to assist aspiring collegiate golfers in identifying the programs that best fit them by rating all NCAA golf programs in three different rankings. The "Golf First" ranking assess the programs based on their ability to groom future professionals. The "Balanced" ranking aims to list the programs based on the mix of top-notch golf and a top-notch education, while the "Academics" ranking is geared at identifying schools that best suit a player in search of strong academics as their first priority and a competitive golf program as their second priority.
The Furman women's golf program, which has earned bids to 15 consecutive NCAA Regionals and produced more than a dozen LPGA professionals headlined by hall-of-famers Betsy King and Beth Daniel, ranked 13th nationally in the "Balanced" ranking. The Lady Paladin program was the highest ranked women's program in the Southern Conference and in South Carolina. Three-time defending national champion Duke topped the list of more than 400 schools in three divisions. The Lady Paladins ranked 17th in both the "Golf First" and "Academics" rankings.
The men's golf program ranked 19th in the "Balanced" ranking, just one spot behind instate foe Clemson. The Paladins placed 41st in the "Golf First" ranking and 24th in the "Academics" list.
"The Golf Digest rankings coincide with what we tell our recruits each year," said Furman women's coach Jen Hanna. "Furman University and our golf programs prepare student-athletes for professional golf or whatever other challenges they undertake in the business world."
Factors such as program performance, academics, coaches and facilities and climate were weighed in determining the rankings.
A complete listing of the rankings and criteria can be found at www.golfdigest.com/rankings/college/2007/09/collegegolfrankings.
