Baez leads Richmond to second straight team crown by taking title in Babygrande Donald Ross Collegiate Classic

 

   A victory in the Atlantic 10 Championship and a berth in an NCAA regional barely eluded Richmond a year ago. The Spiders seem intent on flipping that script in the wraparound 2025-2026 season.

   Coming on strong in the final round to erase a one-shot deficit to George Washington, Richmond claimed its second straight team crown in the Babygrande Donald Ross Collegiate Classic, which wrapped up Wednesday at the Mid-Pines Golf Club, your basic Ross gem, in Southern Pines, N.C.

   The Spiders were coming off a team title in the Loyola Intercollegiate last month in Goodyear, Ariz. and proceeded to go back-to-back for the first time in head coach Adam Decker’s 21 years at the helm of the program.

   Carlos Baez, a sophomore from Davenport, Fla., had captured the individual title in the Loyola Intercollegiate and he nearly did it again.

   Baez sunk a birdie putt on the 18^th hole that secured the team title for Richmond and earned him a spot in a playoff for the individual crown with Bowling Green’s Pedro Garcia, a freshman from Spain, and Virginia Commonwealth’s Carson Looney, a freshman from Bethesda, Md., each landing on 6-under-par 210.

   Garcia, however, hit it close on the first hole of the playoff and converted the birdie to claim his first collegiate victory.

   Garcia had opened with a 4-under 68 over the 6,657-yard, par-72 Mid-Pines layout and added a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round to share the lead with Eastern Kentucky’s Anders Larson, a senior from Pine Island, Minn., going into the final round.

   Garcia’s final round of 1-over 73 enabled Baez and Looney to catch him at 6-under.

   Baez had opened with a 4-under 68 and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 before closing with a 2-under 70.

   Richmond, No. 141 in the latest Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, got off to a great start at Mid-Pines as the Spiders opened with a 10-under 278, the best team round of the tournament.

   They fell a shot behind George Washington with a 2-over 290 in Tuesday’s second round, but another 2-over 290 in Wednesday’s final round enabled Richmond to hold off hard-charging George Mason by three shots with a 6-under 858 total.

   Richmond defeated a field that included seven of its A-10 rivals, including GW and George Mason, as well as Saint Joseph’s. I’ll round up how the lineup for the Hawks, largely comprised of Philadelphia area kids, fared later in this post.

   Richmond had another top-10 finisher in Lucas Rizo-Patron, a freshman from Rye, N.Y. who finished in a tie for ninth place with Loyola of Chicago’s Charlie Kulwin, a senior from Chicago, Ill., and South Dakota’s Joe Rohlwing, a junior from Apple Valley, Minn., each landing on 3-under 213.

   Rizo-Patron backed up Baez for the Spiders as he opened with a 3-under 69 before matching par in the final two rounds with a pair of 72s.

   Richmond lost to Davidson by a shot in the A-10 Championship at the Evermore Resort in Orlando, Fla. last spring.

   The Spiders accepted a bid to the National Golf Invitational at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz. and finished in sixth place with Baez losing in a playoff for the individual title.

   By the way, that A-10 Championship was the final event in the Richmond career for Patrick Isztwan, the former Penn Charter standout. Isztwan did not accompany the team to Arizona.

   Pretty sure his services were needed back home as he helped Huntingdon Valley Country Club capture the title in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s always hotly-contest BMW Team Matches. Isztwan has been a beaten finalist in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship twice in the last three years.

   George Mason had opened with a 4-over 292 and added a 2-under 286 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 5-under 283, the best team round in Wednesday’s final round, to earn runnerup honors with a 3-under 861 total.

   The Patriots got a solid showing from sophomore David Fuhrer II, a scholastic standout at Fox Chapel and a member of one of the first families of Pittsburgh amateur golf. After opening with a 4-over 76, Fuhrer posted a sparkling 4-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72 to finish among a trio tied for 16^th place at even-par 216.

   George Washington shared third place with James Madison, a Sun Belt Conference representative, each ending up 2-under 862.

   The D.C. Colonials took a one-shot lead going into the final round after adding a 6-under 282 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round to their opening round of 3-under 285 before closing with a 7-over 295.

   George Washington was led by Evan Eichenlaub, a two-time PIAA Class AA qualifier during an outstanding scholastic career at Moravian Academy.

   Eichenlaub, who transferred to GW after beginning his college career at Division III Babson College in Massachusetts, recorded back-to-back 2-under 70s in the first two rounds before closing with a 71 to finish in a tie for fourth place with Eastern Kentucky’s Larson, each ending up a shot out of the playoff for the individual title at 5-under 211.

   Eichenlaub, playing out of Saucon Valley Country Club, reached the semifinals of last summer’s BMW Philadelphia Amateur before falling to eventual champion Drue Nicholas at Aronimink Golf Club.

   James Madison, at No. 112 in the Scoreboard rankings the highest-ranked team in the field at Mid-Pines, opened with a solid 6-under 282, fell back with a 4-over 292 in Tuesday’s second round and matched par in the final round with a 288.

   The Dukes were led by Vaclav Tichy, a senior from the Czech Republic, and Michael Hake, a junior from Brentwood, Tenn. who transferred to JMU from Kentucky, as they finished in a tie for sixth place at 4-under 212.

   Tichy opened with a sparkling 4-under 68 before matching par in each of the final two rounds with a pair of 72s. Hake opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a solid 3-under 69.

   It was another eight shots back to VCU as the Rams, behind Looney, finished in fifth place with a 6-over 870 total. VCU, another A-10 representative and just a spot behind JMU in the Scoreboard rankings at No. 113, opened with a 1-over 289 and added a 6-over 294 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-under 287.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Looney signed for back-to-back 3-under 69s that earned him a spot in the playoff for the title at 6-under.

   South Dakota, playing out of the Summit League, took a long trip to Donald Ross country in North Carolina's pinelands and finished two shots behind VCU in sixth place with an 8-over 872 total.

   The Coyotes were really consistent, registering a pair of 3-over 291s in the first two rounds before closing with a 2-over 290.

   Rohlwing led the way for South Dakota as he opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Decent effort by St. Joe’s as the Hawks opened with a 6-over 294 and added a solid 1-over 289 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 9-over 297 to finish in 11^th place in the 20-team field with a 16-over 880 total.

   Backing up Baez and Rizo-Patron for Richmond was Drew Carlin, a senior from Ashburn, Va. who finished among the group tied for 22^nd place at 2-over 218. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Carlin added a pair of steady 1-over 73s in the final two rounds.

   Quin Polin, a junior from Cary, N.C., finished in the group tied for 38th place for the Spiders with a 5-over 221 total as he opened with a solid 1-under 71 and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 before struggling a little in the final round with a 6-over 78.

   Rounding out the Richmond lineup was Parker Moellinger, a junior from Vestavia Hills, Ala. who finished among the group tied for 68^th place with a 9-over 225 total. Moellinger opened with a 4-over 76 and added a 75 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 74 that was an important counter for the Spiders.

   Eastern Kentucky’s Landers had a share of the lead going into the final round after he opened with a sparkling 4-under 68 and added a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round. Landers closed with a 2-over 74 to fall back into a tie for fourth place with GW’s Eichenlaub at 5-under.

   Eastern Kentucky, an Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) entry, finished in 14^th place in the team standings, the Colonels ending up with a 23-over 887 total.

   Loyola of Chicago’s Kulwin rounded out the trio tied for ninth place at 3-under as he opened with a 2-under 69 before matching par in each of the last two rounds with a pair of 72s.

   Kulwin led the way for the Ramblers, another A-10 representative, as they finished in 12^th place, two shots behind Saint Joseph’s with an 18-over 882 total.

   Leading the way for Saint Joseph’s was senior Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Wissahickon who finished among the group tied for 26^th place with a 3-over 219 total.

   Matt, who has been the Hawks’ most consistent player this season, sandwiched a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 2-over 74s.

   Backing up Matt for the Hawks was junior Noah Moelter, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Central Bucks South in 2022. Moelter ended up in the group tied for 38^th place at 5-over 221 in the Donald Ross as he matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 3-over 75 before closing with a 74.

   Freshman Sam Feeney, the District One Class AAA champion as a senior at West Chester Rustin in 2023, finished among the group tied for 49^th place at 7-over 223 for St. Joe’s. Feeney opened with a solid 1-under 71, but struggled a little in Tuesday’s second round with a 5-over 77 before closing with a 75.

   Another freshman, Michael Henry Jr., a scholastic standout in the Inter-Ac League at Malvern Prep, ended up in the group tied for 56^th place at 8-over 224 for the Hawks. Henry added a solid 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 2-over 74 before struggling a little in the final round with a 79.

   George Williamson Jr., a third freshman in the lineup for St. Joe’s from Sykesville, Md., finished among the group tied for 72^nd place at 226 as he got a little better in each round, opening with a 5-over 77 and adding a 75 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Robert Morris, a Horizon League entry, had a couple of former Pennsylvania scholastic standouts in the lineup.

   Redshirt junior Chuck Tragresser, the runnerup in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Franklin Regional in 2020, finished in the trio tied for 19^th place at 1-over 217. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Tragresser carded a solid 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Freshman Connor McKenzie, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Upper St. Clair, finished in a tie for 96^th place for the Pittsburgh Colonials with a 240 total. After struggling to an 84 in the opening round, McKenzie recorded back-to-back 6-over 78s in the final two rounds.

   Robert Morris finished last of the 20 teams in the field with a 40-over 904 total.