Spiders Jump to Fifth on Final Day at A-10 Championship

Friday, April 30

Orlando, FL

9:35 AM

University of Richmond

Atlantic 10 Championship

Spiders Jump to Fifth on Final Day at A-10 Championship

05/02/2021 | Men's Golf

RESULTS

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Richmond Spiders men's golf team rallied on the back nine in Sunday's final round to climb to fifth at the Atlantic 10 Championships and card its lowest score in any of the event's three rounds, a 4-over 292. The Spiders combined to play the final seven holes of the Nicklaus Course at Reunion Resort and Golf Club in 8-under par, passing both George Mason and George Washington to finish fifth in the 10-team field.

"They definitely played their best nine holes in their final nine," said coach Adam Decker. "There's never any quit in this team – I know that. I knew they would never give up even though it was going to take a really special effort to get close to the leaders. It's a resilient bunch."

Richmond finished the event at 887, 23 strokes over par and 28 shots behind Davidson, who won the A-10 title with a score of 5-under (859).

Three Spiders finished in the top 20, with sophomore Lou Baker and freshman Garrett Clark tying for 11^th at 220 (+4). Baker birdied his final three holes Sunday to finish with a 2-over 74. Clark was able to play the Par 4s in 3-under par for the week, best of any golfer in the 52-man field. He shot 72 Sunday, tied for the lowest of any Spider.

Sophomore Ben Cooper tied for 18^th at 222 (+6) after shooting a 3-over 75 on Sunday. Cooper, Richmond's longest hitter, was 6-under par on the Par 5s at the event, tied for third in the field.

Baker, Clark, and Cooper were all playing in their first conference championship after the 2020 Atlantic 10 Championship was canceled due to COVID-19. "I think they did what they should have done. That's what we expect out of you," said Decker. "They didn't panic. They handled their business well. I know they're not satisfied and certainly we're not satisfied with our finish so that will be a motivating factor moving forward."

Senior Michael Baker birdied the 18^th hole in his final competitive round to shoot an even-par 72. "That was a nice way to finish," said Baker. "I got up on the tee box and I figured it's my last drive of the career. I might as well try to hit it hard. I happened to hit it well and set myself up for a good shot and made a nice two-putt to birdie." Baker finished tied for 27^th at 227 (+11).

Junior Michael Childress carded a 2-over 74 on Sunday for his best round at the A-10 Championship. He finished tied for 35^th at 14-over par (230).

With their fifth-place finish, Decker has now led the Spiders to a top-five finish in each of his 15 full seasons at Richmond.

"I'm excited for the future," he said after the round. "I know it was Michael Baker's last college golf tournament and that was bittersweet, but this group will be back and stronger than ever next year."