The Richmond Spiders women’s golf team took an early lead on Apr. 20 at the Atlantic 10 Women’s Golf Championship, building an 11-shot advantage after the first round at Evermore Resort in Orlando, Florida. The team finished with a combined score of 19-over par (307), ahead of Dayton in second place at 30-over par (318) and Loyola Chicago in third at 34-over par (322).
The tournament is significant as Richmond looks to defend its title from last year’s inaugural A-10 Championship. All five Richmond golfers placed within the top ten individually after the opening round, with two rounds remaining.
Head coach Calle Barlow said, “We have played in a lot of wind this spring. Spring golf is just always windy. So I think just knowing that we’ve played in these conditions and just trying to stay in our process and play one shot at a time has helped. If the wind takes it somewhere, the wind takes it somewhere and onward we go.”
Junior Maya Beasley led Richmond by shooting a one-over-par 73, putting her two shots ahead on the individual leaderboard. Beasley attributed her performance to patience and course strategy: “I think just staying super patient,” she said. “We picked some really good lines yesterday out on the golf course, so [I was] just committing to those and hoping the ball went there.” Seniors Olivia Wilkie (77) and Hannah Lydic (78) are also among the top five individually.
Freshman Addie Doroh is tied for sixth place after carding a seven-over-par round that included steady play on her back nine holes. Sophomore Katie Magner sits tied for tenth place at nine over par.
Looking ahead to Tuesday’s second round, Beasley said, “I think this team is doing a really good job of just staying patient out there. So we’re just going to try and stick to the same game plan and be confident and have fun.”
