Richmond’s men’s golf team won the Atlantic 10 championship on April 29 after coming from behind in the final round at Evermore Resort in Orlando, Florida. The Spiders shot a combined 15-under par in Round 3, tying their lowest single round in program history, to overtake George Mason and secure their first conference title since 2017.
The victory is significant as it marks Richmond’s second Atlantic 10 team championship and fifth overall conference title. The team finished at a total of 14-under par (850), ten shots ahead of runner-up George Mason and fifteen ahead of third-place VCU. This season, Richmond has claimed four tournament titles, setting a new program record for most wins in a single season.
“I can’t say enough about the way the guys played as a team,” said Spiders coach Adam Decker. “Everyone was asking about their teammates and giving encouragement on the course. It takes everyone 100% bought in to achieve a championship.”
Freshman Lucas Rizo-Patron led individually with a six-under-par final round to finish at thirteen under for the tournament, matching the second-lowest score ever by a Spider golfer at an event. Rizo-Patron is only the second Richmond player to win an individual conference title in thirty-five years. “I had a bunch of ups and downs this season, but I was always working really hard. I think this week was the culmination of all of that hard work,” said Rizo-Patron.
Other notable performances included sophomore Carson Baez shooting six-under-par on Wednesday to move into third place individually with his sixth top-ten finish this year, while junior Quin Polin tied for fourth after carding four-under-par in Round 3.
Coach Decker praised his team’s resilience after overcoming an eight-over opening round: “What a week. I’m extremely proud of the guys for not letting a tough first round get them down… It’s been something we’ve talked about all season, just get into a spot where you are playing the final round with a chance.” The Spiders will learn which NCAA Regional site they will compete at during selections on May 6.
