Men's Golf
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- adecker@richmond.edu
Adam Decker has been the head coach of Spiders Men's Golf since joining the program in 2005. A four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Decker has led Richmond to a pair of NCAA regional appearances and guided the school to its first Atlantic-10 title in 2017. Under Decker, the Spiders have won 12 tournaments and finished in the top five in the Atlantic 10 in each of his 19 full seasons. (The 2020 Atlantic 10 Championship was canceled due to coronavirus concerns.)
At Richmond, Decker’s players have been widely recognized for their performances both on and off the course. In 2021, the team was named Academic National Champions for posting the highest team GPA of any men's golf team in the nation. The honors earned by Richmond golfers under Decker also include 29 All-Atlantic 10 selections, 10 Academic All-Atlantic 10 selections, 41 All-America Scholars Team selections, and two Atlantic 10 Golfer of the Year Awards.
In 2024-25, a high-powered Spiders lineup registered eight top-five tournament finishes, a pair of runner-up results, and a record-setting win in the Loyola Intercollegiate. Richmond placed fifth or better in all five of its event during the fall season, highlighted by a third-place place finish at the RedHawk Intercollegiate in October. The team was even better at the start of the spring, placing second in The Match Play event in February after losing a margin of victory tiebreaker to Ball State in the championship match, and then smashing the competition at the Loyola Intercollegiate later that month. Richmond combined for a team score of 29-under par, the lowest score in program history by a five-shot margin and 10 strokes better than anyone else in the 19-team field. At April's Atlantic 10 Championship, the Spiders led entering the final round but were clipped by Davidson on the final hole, finishing second by a single shot. It was the team's best result in the event since winning the A-10 in 2017. Senior Cole Ekert (6-under 210) placed second, one of his three runner-up finishes during the season. Ekert and freshman Carson Baez were named to the All-Atlantic 10 Team at the conclusion of the event. Ekert became the program's first four-time All-A-10 selection and Baez became the fourth Spiders freshman to be named All-A-10 as the duo posted the lowest (Ekert at 70.87) and second-lowest (Baez at 71.55) single-season scoring averages in program history. The team earned a visit to the National Golf Invitational in May, where UR placed sixth and Baez finished second with an individual score of 12-under par (204), matching the second-lowest tournament score in Spiders history. Ekert graduated with a career stroke average of 72.03, the best in program history by more than a stroke.
The 2023-24 Spiders finished in the top five in their final four tournaments, a stretch that started with a win in the Any Given Tuesday Collegiate in April and ended with a fourth-place result at the postseason National Golf Invitational in Arizona. Cole Ekert earned individual medalist honors at the AGT Collegiate, recorded the third-best single-season scoring average in program history (72.10), and set the Spiders tournament scoring record, with a 13-under 203 at the VCU Shootout in September. Ekert and Lou Baker were selected to the All-Atlantic 10 team, with Ekert joining Matthew Lowe as the only Spiders to earn All-Atlantic 10 honors in three or more seasons. Freshmen Jack LaPiana and Quin Polin each won a pair of A-10 Rookie of the Week awards and registered three top-20 finishes, the most by a Spider freshman since 2014-15 (Matthew Lowe). In September's VCU Shootout, the Spiders opened with a 13-under 275, the second-lowest round in program history.Â
In 2022-23, Decker and the Spiders earned three podium finishes, tying for third at Yale's MacDonald Cup in September and at the Wexford Intercollegiate in February and finishing as runner-up at the RedHawk Intercollegiate in April. Cole Ekert earned co-medalist honors at the RedHawk Intercollegiate, becoming Richmond's first individual champion since 2017, and finished the season with a stroke average of 71.67, the best single-season scoring average in program history. Ekert was selected to the All-Atlantic 10 team, joining Matt Lowe as the only Spiders to earn All-A-10 honors following their freshman and sophomore seasons. He also passed Lowe to take over as Richmond's career scoring average, with a stroke average of 72.60. In the season-opening VCU Shootout, the Spiders combined to shoot 24-under par, tied for the lowest team tournament score in program history, en route to a fifth-place finish.
The Spiders opened the 2021-22 season with a win at the VCU Shootout, their first tournament victory since 2017. Richmond shot 276 (-12) in the first round, tied for the second-lowest 18-hole score in program history, and finished the event at 20-under par, the second-lowest tournament score in program history. Garrett Clark finished the event at 10-under par, the second-lowest 54-hole score ever by a Spider, and tied for third. At the Atlantic 10 Championship, the Spiders rallied on the final day to shoot 4-under par (284) and finish tied for fourth, their best result since winning the event in 2017. Richmond made 55 birdies in the event, five more than any other team in the field. After leading the team with a 73.63 stroke average during the season, Cole Ekert earned All-Atlantic 10 honors, becoming the first Spider freshman to do so since 2015 (Matt Lowe).Â
In 2020-21, coronavirus restrictions allowed the Spiders to compete only in the spring semester. Richmond placed third in its season-opening Ross Collegiate Classic in Southern Pines, NC and followed it with a fourth-place finish at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate in Williamsburg, VA that was highlighted by sophomore Lou Baker finishing second in the field of 88. At the Atlantic 10 Championship, Richmond rallied on the back nine of the final round to move past George Mason and George Washington and finish fifth in the field. Lou Baker, who finished 11th at the A-10 Championship, was named Atlantic 10 Golfer of the Year for his performance over the course of the season. Following the season, Richmond was crowned Academic National Champions by the Golf Coaches Association of America for posting the highest team GPA (3.85) of any men's golf team in the nation during the 2020-21 season.Â
In 2019-20, the remainder of the Spiders season was canceled in March due to the coronavirus. The Spiders competed in just six events, but earned a third-place finish at the Hamptons Intercollegiate in October, their best tournament finish since 2017. Richmond was led by a trio of underclassmen who each posted a stroke average under 75: sophomore Michael Childress and freshmen Lou Baker and Ben Cooper. Despite their youth, the Spiders tied the second-lowest team round in program history in just their second competitive round of the season, carding a 276 (-12) at the VCU Invitational in September. Off the course, the Spiders combined for a team GPA of 3.61 in the fall term, the highest semester GPA on record for any men's sports team at Richmond.
In 2018-19, Decker guided a Spiders roster that featured just one senior to a fifth-place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship. After shooting 317 in the first round (+29), Decker and the Spiders regrouped to play 36 holes in a combined score of five-under par over the weekend, the second-best of any team behind tournament champion VCU. Senior Ben Wanichek was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 after finishing the year with four top-20 finishes and a stroke average of 73.00.Â
In 2017-18, the Spiders finished fifth in the A-10 conference – their 13th straight top-5 Atlantic 10 finish under Decker. Senior Matt Lowe finished fifth in the conference tournament, securing All-A-10 honors for a fourth straight year. Lowe finished his Spiders career with a stroke average of 73.43, breaking Richmond’s record for career scoring average, which had been held by Ken MacDonald since 2000.
After many close calls, the 2016-17 Spiders team broke through to win the Atlantic 10 for the first time in program history and earn Decker his third A-10 Coach of the Year Award. At the conference tournament, the Spiders opened with a score of 273 (-15), smashing the school record for lowest 18-hole team score, and never looked back, finishing ahead of runner-up VCU by 13 strokes. Richmond finished its season at the NCAA Regionals in West Lafayette, Indiana – its first team appearance at the NCAAs in 11 years. Earlier in the season, the Spiders won the Fort Lauderdale Invitational as Keegan Hoff won the individual title. In his final collegiate season, Hoff’s honors included a Second Team All-State selection by the VSGCA, a spot on the All-America Scholars Team, and the A-10 Player of the Year Award, making him the first Spider to be named conference player of the year since 1995 (Steve Jamroz – CAA).
The standout play of Matthew Lowe paced the Spiders in 2015-16 as the sophomore set the school record for lowest season stroke average (71.91) and shot a school-record round of 63 (-8) on his way to an NCAA At-Large berth. The Spiders placed second in the Atlantic 10 championships as Decker was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for a second time. Earlier in the season, the Spiders won the Waterville Collegiate, their first team title since 2013, as Lowe captured the individual title, the first of his career.Â
The Spiders also finished in runner-up position at the conference tournament in 2015. Despite his freshman status, Matthew Lowe finished in second place at -7 at the event, earning Conference Rookie of the Year honors.
Richmond narrowly missed out on an A-10 title in 2013-14, finishing one shot behind VCU at the conference tournament. Decker helped Danny Pizetoski become the first individual conference champion for the Spiders since Rob Shawger in 1990 in the CAA and earn a spot at the NCAA Regionals. Pizetoski won three tournaments during the season, setting a program record for wins in a single campaign and matching the school mark for career individual titles.
In 2012-13, Decker oversaw one of the great individual seasons in program history as senior Daniel Walker earned an at-large bid to the NCAA National Championship after his school-record total of -12 (204) earned him a tie for second at the NCAA Regional in Tallahassee, Florida.Â
Decker transitioned to coaching following a very successful playing career. At Penn State, he earned All-America honors and was named Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year as a senior in 1997. He led the Nittany Lions to the 1996 NCAA East Regional where he finished as the runner-up. Decker also earned All-Mid Atlantic Region honors as both a sophomore and senior.
After graduating from Penn State, Decker played six years of professional golf, including PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour events. He competed on the Mid-Atlantic Tour before successfully qualifying for the PGA Tour's 1998 Kemper Open. He also played in the 2000 Florida Classic, 2001 Hershey Open and the 2001 Greater Cleveland Open.
In 1999, Decker married Erin Suvak, who also played golf at Penn State. The couple traveled the East Coast playing various mini-tours and from 1999 through 2001, Decker won four times on three different tours. He also advanced to the second stage of PGA TOUR qualifying several times. Before returning to State College for the 2004-05 season as the assistant coach, the couple spent the previous two years on the New England Pro Tour.Â
The Long Island, New York native came to Richmond after spending one year as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Penn State, where he helped lead the Nittany Lions to the 2005 NCAA East Regional. Decker made an immediate impact with the Spiders, being named Virginia Coach of the Year in 2006 after leading Richmond to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2001.
While coaching at Penn State under his former mentor, Greg Nye, Decker was responsible for player development, recruiting and the Nittany Lions annual home event, the Rutherford Intercollegiate. Decker spent two years as an assistant golf professional at Caves Valley Golf Course in Baltimore, Maryland where he completed his requirements for PGA Membership.
Decker resides in Richmond with his wife and their two children.
