Strong third round puts Spiders in 10th place at Tar Heel Intercollegiate

The University of Richmond men’s golf team slid into 10th place of 14 with a strong third round at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate April 12 and 13. 

Cold weather and an intricate course challenged the Spiders on the first day of the tournament. Playing became a mental game as Richmond battled through the par-70 Finley Golf Club. 

“I think it was a long day,” senior Cole Ekert said after the tournament. “We didn't handle ourselves emotionally as well as we probably could have, and I think that led to some poor decision making and poor play generally throughout the day.” 

The first day put Richmond in 13th place with sophomore Quin Polin leading the team with 6-over-par for the first two rounds. Right behind him, first-year Carson Baez and Ekert carded 7-over-par. Long holes seemed to give the Spiders a tough time throughout the day. 

“There's a lot of hazards,” Ekert said. “The greens are really well designed where there's multiple tiers or like quadrants of the greens. So, you have to really be precise with your iron play, and that's not always the easiest thing when you're hitting six and five irons into greens rather than pitching wedges.”

Richmond was within a few shots of the teams above and below it, offering a chance for a higher placement on day two. The Spiders took the evening to calm their emotions and returned to the course in higher spirits. 

“We just got more comfortable as the tournament went on, and I think everybody came out today pretty hungry to make some birdies and kind of redeem ourselves from yesterday,” Ekert said. 

The team did just that, recording the fourth lowest score of the round. Ekert led with a 2-under-par. He started the day with a bogey, but several birdies and an eagle tied him for 22nd individually. 

Recording a team-high 11 birdies, Polin also finished in the top-30. Senior Patrick Isztwan trailed with 16-over par after suffering a triple bogey and a double bogey on the final day. As a team, Richmond ended the day 27-over-par. 

The nine teams ahead of Richmond are all ranked in the top 100 nationally. 

The Spiders topped both Atlantic 10 teams in the tournament, including 2024 conference champions Virginia Commonwealth University. It was a much needed victory as the Spiders turn to the A-10 Championships April 22 to 24. Richmond will be looking for redemption after placing fifth last year. 

Richmond will get a short break after back-to-back weekends of playing. 

“It'll be a good focus week and, I think we'll all be pretty locked in on Sunday when we leave for Orlando,” Ekert said.  

Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu