Friday, April 21
Midlothian, VA
8:30 AM
University of Richmond
vs
Patriot League Championship
Spiders Smash Records on Way to Patriot League Championship
04/23/2023 | Women's Golf
MIDLOTHIAN, Va. — The Richmond Spiders won their fourth Patriot League Women's Golf Championship Sunday at Independence Golf Club, finishing the 54-hole event at 10 strokes over par, 16 shots ahead of defending champion Boston University. On their way to their first conference title since 2018, the Spiders recorded the lowest tournament score in program history (+10, 874), matched the lowest round in program history (-1, 287), and set Patriot League Championship records for lowest single-round score, lowest tournament score, and largest margin of victory.
The key to such a spectacular performance might have been the decision to try to play the event in as unspectacular a fashion as possible, according to Coach Calle Barlow.
"We kind of talked about what every day is," said Barlow. "So yes, this is the Patriot League Championship. But it was also April 23rd. It was just another day. Let's go play our home golf course."
Barlow and the Spiders entered the day with an 11-stroke lead, but Lehigh cut Richmond's cushion to seven shots by the time the rain-delayed Round 2 concluded Sunday morning.
Richmond responded by combining for a 1-under 287 in the third and final round, matching the lowest single-round score in program history (2022 Kingsmill Invitational Round 1, 2018 match vs Columbia). The Spiders quickly distanced themselves from Lehigh and Boston, who beat Richmond by a single shot to win last year's conference title.
"Our strategy was just putting our heads down and getting to work," said junior Rory Weinfurther. "Just doing what we've been doing the last two days and I think we did a really great job with that."
The Spiders were paced by senior Vicky Zhu in Round 3. Zhu offset four bogeys with six birdies to shoot a career-low 2-under (70), the first under-par round of her Richmond career.
"In all four years, that's the best round I ever played at Indy," said Zhu. "It's just so amazing. I enjoyed every shot of it and I'm really proud of our team. We worked really hard for this, and we deserve this."
Zhu finished in second place at 1-over par (217), tied for the eighth-best 54-hole score in Spiders history. For her top-five finish, she earned First Team All-Patriot League honors along with Weinfurther and freshman Olivia Wilkie, who tied for third at 218 (+2). Both shot even-par 72 in the final round.
"I didn't really come into my first conference [championship] with a lot of expectations, and I'm certainly very happy with the result," said Wilkie, whose even-par 72s in Round 1 and 3 were the first two even-par or better rounds of her career. Wilkie's 54-hole score of 2-over par was nine shots better than her lowest tournament score of the season entering this weekend.
Weinfurther, the 2021 Patriot League individual champion and 2022 runner-up, has now earned First Team All-Patriot League honors in each of her three seasons at Richmond. She joins Sophie DiPetrillo as the only Spiders to ever earn First Team All-Conference honors three times.
Sophomore Lauren Jones also earned All-Conference status, landing on the All-Patriot League Second Team after placing 10th at 223 (+7), one shot off the lowest tournament of her career. Jones provided Richmond's fourth team score in Round 3, a 1-over 73.
Richmond's 1-under 287 in the final round was the low round of the tournament by five shots and removed much of the drama from Sunday afternoon's back nine.
"They kind of just stayed in their own bubble. They never asked me 'Hey coach, how are we doing?' They just kind of stuck with the process and did what we had been practicing all semester," said Barlow, who was named Patriot League Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the tournament, her first Coach of the Year award since coming to Richmond in 2019. "I'm still a bit in shock I think," she added. "But the girls are super excited, and they so deserve this."
Senior Muskan Uppal tied for 14th at 229 (+13) and freshman Hannah Lydic tied for 20th at 232 (+16). After the event, Lydic was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year for her performance during the 2022-23 season.
This is Richmond's fourth Patriot League Women's Golf title, breaking a tie with Boston for the most in conference history. The Spiders also won in 2016, 2017, and 2018. This is the first time in program history the Spiders have played a tournament in 10-over par or better. The lowest team tournament score in program history entering the weekend was a 13-over par 877 at last September's Kingsmill Invitational.
Richmond will learn which of the six NCAA Regional sites it will be playing at from May 8-10 this Wednesday at 1 p.m. when the 12-team fields for all six regional sites are announced on Golf Channel.
The key to such a spectacular performance might have been the decision to try to play the event in as unspectacular a fashion as possible, according to Coach Calle Barlow.
"We kind of talked about what every day is," said Barlow. "So yes, this is the Patriot League Championship. But it was also April 23rd. It was just another day. Let's go play our home golf course."
Barlow and the Spiders entered the day with an 11-stroke lead, but Lehigh cut Richmond's cushion to seven shots by the time the rain-delayed Round 2 concluded Sunday morning.
Richmond responded by combining for a 1-under 287 in the third and final round, matching the lowest single-round score in program history (2022 Kingsmill Invitational Round 1, 2018 match vs Columbia). The Spiders quickly distanced themselves from Lehigh and Boston, who beat Richmond by a single shot to win last year's conference title.
"Our strategy was just putting our heads down and getting to work," said junior Rory Weinfurther. "Just doing what we've been doing the last two days and I think we did a really great job with that."
The Spiders were paced by senior Vicky Zhu in Round 3. Zhu offset four bogeys with six birdies to shoot a career-low 2-under (70), the first under-par round of her Richmond career.
"In all four years, that's the best round I ever played at Indy," said Zhu. "It's just so amazing. I enjoyed every shot of it and I'm really proud of our team. We worked really hard for this, and we deserve this."
Zhu finished in second place at 1-over par (217), tied for the eighth-best 54-hole score in Spiders history. For her top-five finish, she earned First Team All-Patriot League honors along with Weinfurther and freshman Olivia Wilkie, who tied for third at 218 (+2). Both shot even-par 72 in the final round.
"I didn't really come into my first conference [championship] with a lot of expectations, and I'm certainly very happy with the result," said Wilkie, whose even-par 72s in Round 1 and 3 were the first two even-par or better rounds of her career. Wilkie's 54-hole score of 2-over par was nine shots better than her lowest tournament score of the season entering this weekend.
Weinfurther, the 2021 Patriot League individual champion and 2022 runner-up, has now earned First Team All-Patriot League honors in each of her three seasons at Richmond. She joins Sophie DiPetrillo as the only Spiders to ever earn First Team All-Conference honors three times.
Sophomore Lauren Jones also earned All-Conference status, landing on the All-Patriot League Second Team after placing 10th at 223 (+7), one shot off the lowest tournament of her career. Jones provided Richmond's fourth team score in Round 3, a 1-over 73.
Richmond's 1-under 287 in the final round was the low round of the tournament by five shots and removed much of the drama from Sunday afternoon's back nine.
"They kind of just stayed in their own bubble. They never asked me 'Hey coach, how are we doing?' They just kind of stuck with the process and did what we had been practicing all semester," said Barlow, who was named Patriot League Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the tournament, her first Coach of the Year award since coming to Richmond in 2019. "I'm still a bit in shock I think," she added. "But the girls are super excited, and they so deserve this."
Senior Muskan Uppal tied for 14th at 229 (+13) and freshman Hannah Lydic tied for 20th at 232 (+16). After the event, Lydic was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year for her performance during the 2022-23 season.
This is Richmond's fourth Patriot League Women's Golf title, breaking a tie with Boston for the most in conference history. The Spiders also won in 2016, 2017, and 2018. This is the first time in program history the Spiders have played a tournament in 10-over par or better. The lowest team tournament score in program history entering the weekend was a 13-over par 877 at last September's Kingsmill Invitational.
Richmond will learn which of the six NCAA Regional sites it will be playing at from May 8-10 this Wednesday at 1 p.m. when the 12-team fields for all six regional sites are announced on Golf Channel.
Players Mentioned
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