Upstate Golf: Freshmen help boost Furman women to elite status
The college careers of Upstate standouts Carly Burkhardt and Natalie Srinivasan at Furman University are off to an exciting start.
One month before the freshmen began their college careers, Kelley Hester, the coach who recruited them to Furman, left for Clemson University.
Srinivasan, a Spartanburg native, cracked a strong, veteran starting lineup for the Paladins’ first event. Burkhardt, a Greenville native, joined her for the second. Now, after just three tournaments, the Paladins have climbed to No. 4 in the Golfstat national team rankings. Furman was No. 8 in Golfweek.
“I knew we were really good — we have so much talent on the team,” Burkhardt said. “I didn’t know we’d be this high in the rankings, but I knew it could be a special year.”
“It’s been special to share this moment,” Srinivasan said.
In the Golfstat rankings, Furman trails only UCLA, Alabama and Stanford. Kent State (No. 11) and Central Florida (No. 16) are the only other non-Power 5 conference teams in the top 20.
“It’s pretty cool to see us up there with them,” Burkhardt said.
With Burkhardt and Srinivasan aboard, the Furman women’s program could be headed to heights it hasn’t seen since future LPGA Tour players Dottie Pepper and Maggie Will led the Paladins to a runner-up finish in the 1987 NCAA Championship.
The two freshmen joined a lineup with veterans Taylor Totland, Haylee Harford and Alice Chen. Juniors Reona Hirai and Jacqueline Kendrick are proven players expected to compete for playing time throughout the year.
Growing up in Greenville, Burkhardt had the opportunity to see the Paladins rise back to prominence under Hester and current coach Jeff Hull, formerly Hester’s assistant.
“I’ve gotten to see the complete transformation,” Burkhardt said. “It’s been awesome to see.”
Burkhardt has bounced back strong from a wrist injury that sidelined her for much of 2015. She credits an improved short game with helping her to a 71.8 stroke average — second on the team behind Harford — in six rounds. She’s No. 92 in Golfweek’s individual rankings.
“My wedge game has shown huge improvement,” Burkhardt said.
Srinivasan has a 73.1 average in nine rounds and has one top-10 and one top-20 finish. She’s ranked No. 137 by Golfweek. At No. 28, Harford is the Paladins’ top-ranked player.
In their most recent tournament, the Cougar Classic at historic Yeamans Hall outside Charleston, the Paladins finished second behind North Carolina in the 21-team field, beating Wake Forest, Florida State, UCF, Michigan, South Carolina, Auburn, Arkansas and Clemson.
Burkhardt said seeing Hester in Charleston was a bit awkward.
“It was a little strange seeing Kelley wearing orange and talking to other girls,” Burkhardt said. “Everybody at first was a little hurt when she left, but we realize it happens all the time. It was better for her family. And we’re happy with Jeff.”
Srinivasan and Burkhardt cracked the lineup through team qualifiers. Because of their strong play at Yeamans Hall, the freshmen, as well as Totland and Harford, were exempt from qualifying for Furman’s next tournament, the Landfall Tradition, Oct. 28-30 near Wilmington, North Carolina.
“We’re all pretty good here,” Srinivasan said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be on top of my game at the right time during qualifiers. We can all go low.”
• South Carolina standout Katelyn Dambaugh was No. 9 in the Golfweek rankings. Fellow Palmetto State native and former Clemson standout Laura Stephenson, who transferred to Alabama, was No. 10. Clemson’s Alice Hewson was No. 35. Greenville’s Louise Oxner of Louisville was No. 274.
Freshman Doc Redman leads the Clemson men at No. 37. Scott Stevens leads South Carolina at No. 20. Travelers Rest’s Keenan Huskey of USC is No. 64.
• Former Clemson golfers Brent Delahoussaye of Greenville and Stephen Poole lost in a playoff Oct. 10 for a spot in U.S. Amateur Four-Ball qualifying at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte. Delahoussaye and Poole shot 66 in regulation. Teams with Greenville-area players also failed to advance from a qualifier at The Reserve Club at Pawleys Island.
• The Carolinas went 14-8-2 in Saturday’s singles matches to rally for a 25 1/2-22 1/2 victory over the Virginias in the Captain’s Putter Matches at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia. The annual matches pit amateurs from South Carolina and North Carolina against a team from Virginia and West Virginia in a two-day, Ryder Cup-like format.