Photo by: Tim Cowie/Tim Cowie Photography
Spiders Open Play at NCAA Raleigh Regional
05/08/2023 | Women's Golf
RALEIGH, N.C. — For the first time in 1,825 days, the Richmond Spiders Women's Golf team competed in the regional round of the NCAA Championships Monday, opening play in the 54-hole Raleigh Regional at Lonnie Poole Golf Course. The Spiders, who won the Patriot League Championship on April 23 to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, played Round 1 in 22-over par and are currently 12th in a 12-team field that includes nine teams ranked among the nation's top 50.
"I think it's really cool for this group to see this and know that they can compete with these teams," said Coach Calle Barlow. "It makes me even more excited because I do have two freshmen, a sophomore, a junior, and a senior here. It's just kind of a young group that sees this and experiences this. It's really neat."
Freshman Olivia Wilkie and junior Rory Weinfurther each shot 5-over 77, tied for the best among Spiders. Wilkie managed a team-high 14 pars, tied for seventh most in the field.
"I was just taking it hole by hole. It's a very tough golf course, so I was just trying to focus on one shot at a time," said Wilkie. "And for the most part, that worked out today."
The par-72, 6,324-yard layout at Lonnie Poole includes tremendous elevation changes, deep bunkers, and firm greens.
"You've got to hit it in the right place [on the green]," said Barlow. "If you don't, you could be in a penalty area or out of bounds. It's all about ball striking."
"Hitting to elevated greens is quite tricky in its own right, and the green structures are difficult as well with where the bunkers have been placed. Some holes are also kind of tight. So a tight, tree-lined golf course with quite a lot of elevation makes it pretty tough," said Wilkie, who is currently tied for 50th in the field with Weinfurther and three other golfers.
Weinfurther, who started on Hole 10, made the turn at 1-over but was tripped up by a double bogey on the 9th hole, her last of the day. She is the only current Spider with NCAA Championships experience, having played in the Columbus, Ohio Regional after winning the Patriot League individual title in 2021. As a team, the Spiders haven't played in the NCAA Championships since an appearance at the Tallahassee Regional in 2018.
"It was very exciting. It felt very official and fancy," said Wilkie. "We had a scorer walking with us. I guess the tournament's just been run really well. So while it's very exciting to be here, it was a little bit nerve-racking at first, but super fun."
Richmond will begin Round 2 Tuesday starting at 9:06 a.m. on the 10th hole.
"I think it's really cool for this group to see this and know that they can compete with these teams," said Coach Calle Barlow. "It makes me even more excited because I do have two freshmen, a sophomore, a junior, and a senior here. It's just kind of a young group that sees this and experiences this. It's really neat."
Freshman Olivia Wilkie and junior Rory Weinfurther each shot 5-over 77, tied for the best among Spiders. Wilkie managed a team-high 14 pars, tied for seventh most in the field.
"I was just taking it hole by hole. It's a very tough golf course, so I was just trying to focus on one shot at a time," said Wilkie. "And for the most part, that worked out today."
The par-72, 6,324-yard layout at Lonnie Poole includes tremendous elevation changes, deep bunkers, and firm greens.
"You've got to hit it in the right place [on the green]," said Barlow. "If you don't, you could be in a penalty area or out of bounds. It's all about ball striking."
"Hitting to elevated greens is quite tricky in its own right, and the green structures are difficult as well with where the bunkers have been placed. Some holes are also kind of tight. So a tight, tree-lined golf course with quite a lot of elevation makes it pretty tough," said Wilkie, who is currently tied for 50th in the field with Weinfurther and three other golfers.
Weinfurther, who started on Hole 10, made the turn at 1-over but was tripped up by a double bogey on the 9th hole, her last of the day. She is the only current Spider with NCAA Championships experience, having played in the Columbus, Ohio Regional after winning the Patriot League individual title in 2021. As a team, the Spiders haven't played in the NCAA Championships since an appearance at the Tallahassee Regional in 2018.
"It was very exciting. It felt very official and fancy," said Wilkie. "We had a scorer walking with us. I guess the tournament's just been run really well. So while it's very exciting to be here, it was a little bit nerve-racking at first, but super fun."
Richmond will begin Round 2 Tuesday starting at 9:06 a.m. on the 10th hole.
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