On July 1, 2014, after the completion of the spring season, Furman University will disband the men’s golf team, ending a more than 80 year athletic program that has won 13 Southern Conference titles during its history.

The Board of Trustees, which met on campus over the weekend, voted to cut the program after evaluating the school’s financial situation and deciding the money could be better used elsewhere.

According to Furman’s press release, the Board of Trustees is discontinuing the program due to a lack of publicity and dwindling attendance. The university will not redistribute the money saved amongst other sports programs.

The press release stated that the women’s team is not in danger of being cut, nor is any other sport, and the university has pledged to honor players’ scholarships until the end of their Furman academic careers. The university will also honor the scholarships offered to the three incoming recruits for the class of 2018 should they decide they still want to attend Furman next year.

Furman’s men’s golf program began in 1930 and has produced 13 Southern Conference titles and numerous professional golfers. The team’s last SoCon title came as recently as 2010, but the team has struggled the last few years. Interim President Carl Kohrt cited the combination of poor performance and lack of public interest in the sport as reasons for cutting the program.

The university announced the decision in a press release Friday, Feb. 7, and several major news outlets, including Yahoo! and ABCNews, picked up the story.

There was also backlash in the Twitterverse from professional golfers who were not pleased to hear the news.

Dottie Pepper, an LPGA golfer who played for Furman’s women’s golf program, tweeted, “Never thought I’d see the day a golf program was eliminated @FurmanPaladins. Men’s golf. Great tradition w/ those like @BradFaxon neglected.”

Other Furman golf alumni have also expressed their surprise and sadness in the media. Members on the golf team declined to comment on the university’s announcement at this time.

The decision to cut Furman’s golf program comes on the heels of the addition of a lacrosse program and the completion of construction on the football stadium. Both initiatives were funded through multi-million dollar donations. The university has expressed hope that the lacrosse team will attract students from other parts of the country and boost Furman’s public image.