University of Richmond
Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate
Baker Second, Spiders Fourth at Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate
03/30/2021 | Men's Golf
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – A pair of Spiders registered top-five finishes at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate on Tuesday as Richmond ended the event tied for fourth in the 16-team field. Sophomore Lou Baker, the reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, tied for second after finishing at 211 (+1) while junior Carter Cook, competing as an individual, tied for fifth at 213 (+3). It was the first top-five finish for both Baker and Cook as a Spider.
"I'd say the biggest key for me was the putter," said Baker after Tuesday's final round. "I made a handful of long birdies and made a ton of four-to-eight-footers for par."
Baker registered 13 birdies en route to the best individual finish for a Spider since the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship, when Zack Justice and Andrew Sciarretta tied for second. It was Baker's second career top 10, joining his seventh-place finish at the River Run Collegiate in September 2019.
Cook rocketed up the leaderboard on Tuesday, shooting a 1-under 69 to finish in a tie for fifth after starting the day tied for 12th in the field of 88. Entering the week, Cook's best finish at Richmond had been 30th in the Ross Collegiate Classic earlier this month.
"I put myself in good position off the tee by hitting a lot of fairways," said Cook. "I was really patient and knew par would be a good score on most holes out there." Cook's 36 pars were tied for fourth-most of any golfer.
As a team, the Spiders finished at 872 (+32) over three rounds, finishing the event with a 294 (+14) in Tuesday's final round. With Cook competing as an individual, Richmond's low round on Tuesday was provided by senior Michael Baker, who shot 69 (-1). Baker finished the event tied for 22nd at 220 (+10), his best tournament showing since recording three top-20 finishes during the 2018-19 season.
Two other Spiders finishes inside the top 30. Sophomore Ben Cooper tied for 25th at 221 (+11) while junior Michael Childress tied for 29th at 222 (+12).
Richmond will travel to Kannapolis, N.C. this weekend to compete in the Irish Creek Intercollegiate on April 2-3, the team's final tune-up prior to the Atlantic 10 Championship, which begins April 30 in Orlando, Fla.
Players Mentioned
