Furman senior Harris Barth had been close before — a handful of top-10 finishes, a near-miss at the Gopher Invitational last season, and a stroke average good enough to put him in the conversation for Southern Conference Player of the Year.

But until last week’s Bearcat Invitational at Cincinnati’s Coldstream Golf Club, a college victory had eluded him.

With steady play and a hot start to his final round, Barth got it done, shooting rounds of 67-69-68 for a nine-under-par 204 total and a three-shot win over John Daly II, son of the two-time major champion.

It was Barth’s first win since he captured the Georgia State Amateur title the summer after graduating from Westminster High School in Atlanta, making him one of the youngest golfers ever to win the state amateur.

Steady Approach, Hot Finish

Barth said winning wasn’t necessarily the focus going in.

“I didn’t go into it thinking, ‘I’m going to win this tournament,’” he said. “I just felt like my game was in a good spot, and I wanted to put up some good scores for my team. I had a good game plan for the course, and it felt like it fit me really well.”

After a slow start in the first round, Barth closed with a flurry to get to four-under. He followed a similar pattern in round two, playing solid golf before catching fire late to take the 36-hole lead.

That momentum carried into the final day, where Barth birdied three of his first four holes.

“That hot start put me at ease,” he said. “It was easier to just play free and trust what I’d been doing. Mentally, I had to tell myself, ‘This is my tournament, and I’m not going to lose it.’”

Because Furman’s team score had them on the opposite side of the course from other contenders, Barth never saw Daly or the other challengers. He checked the leaderboard just once, with three holes to play, and saw he was still in control.

Seniors Leading the Way

Barth knows that Furman’s hopes this season rest on more than one hot week.

“I think we’ve got the guys to make another run at the NCAAs,” he said. “For us to get there, the three seniors — Zach Frazer, Clarke Akers and me — have to get it going at the same time. If we’re all clicking, we can make a deep run.”

Last season, Barth led both Furman and the Southern Conference with a 70.88 scoring average, had five top-10 finishes, and tied for ninth individually at the Tallahassee NCAA Regional. His consistency earned him his second straight All-SoCon honor and put him just shy of Player of the Year.

“That would definitely be something I’d like to do,” Barth said. “It would be an honor to be the next Furman guy after Keller [Harper] to win it. But I know it just comes from stacking good tournaments and putting up good team scores.”

Perspective on Winning

Barth knows just how rare it is to win a college event.

“For three years, winning a tournament has been one of my result goals,” he said. “Not a lot of guys win in college — it’s really hard to do. To finally check that box feels great, and hopefully I can do it a couple more times this year.”

The win provides momentum for both Barth and the Paladins as they move into the heart of the fall schedule.

Furman will next play in the Trinity Forrest Invitational in Dallas.