Richmond Golfers Finish Ninth at Rain-Shortened Duke Event
Quin Polin and Davis Conaway drove Richmond to a ninth-place finish at the Rod Myers Invitational after lightning cut the tournament short.
Key points
- Richmond finished ninth in the rain-shortened Rod Myers Invitational with a 1-under par team score over 36 holes.
- Senior Quin Polin tied for 14th place, recording a third top-20 finish in three consecutive events this season.
- Freshman Davis Conaway shot the team's low round of 69, tying for 23rd place with nine birdies total.
Rain hammered the fairways at Duke University Golf Club, turning the lush green into a slick, heavy canvas that swallowed every stray ball into the wet earth. The sky hung low and gray over Durham, pressing down on the course as the Spiders pushed their putters through the damp grass, chasing a finish line that kept retreating. The air tasted of ozone and wet pine, a physical weight that matched the fatigue of the players trudging across the links.
The storm forced a halt, suspending play Monday afternoon when golfers were only halfway through their rounds. By Tuesday, the rain had not lifted, and organizers made the hard call to cancel the final round entirely. The event was cut from 54 holes to 36, freezing the leaderboard in a state of suspended animation. Richmond, despite the chaos, managed to claw their way up one spot, finishing ninth in the field.
Polin holds steady in the storm
Senior Quin Polin stood as the team's anchor, his composure a stark contrast to the swirling weather outside. He tied for 14th place with a total score of 3-under par, compiling rounds of 71 and 70. His control over the long holes was precise; he played the par 5s at Duke in 5-under, a performance that ranked third best among all competitors in the field.
It marked Polin's third top-20 finish in three events this season, a consistency that shone through the gloom. While others struggled with the wet conditions, Polin’s swing remained smooth and decisive, cutting through the damp air with clean contact. His ability to navigate the difficult layout under pressure defined the Spiders' best individual showing of the weekend.
Conaway fires for a low round
Freshman Davis Conaway brought a different kind of energy, his game defined by aggressive, high-percentage shots. He recorded the team's low round of the event, sinking a 3-under 69 in the final completed round. This was a significant improvement, moving him five shots forward from his opening-day 74.
Conaway tied for 23rd place overall, finishing at 1-under par. His success was driven by a prolific birdie count, with nine birdies over the two rounds. That total tied him for sixth-most in the entire tournament, a testament to his ability to seize scoring opportunities even as the rain intensified around him.
Team resilience in wet conditions
The rest of the squad held their ground against the elements. Senior Jack LaPiana tied for 29th with an even-par score, while senior Parker Moellinger recovered from a slow start to finish at 3-over. Graduate student Mason Deal and senior Tyler Lee, competing as an individual, also completed their rounds despite the challenging weather patterns that disrupted the schedule.
Richmond’s overall score of 1-under par over 36 holes reflected a collective effort to adapt to the shortened format. The team improved by nine shots in the final round, showing resilience in the face of a tournament that ended abruptly. As reported by University of Richmond Athletics, the Spiders now turn their attention to a one-day match against Davidson in Ireland, leaving the rain-soaked fairways of Duke behind.
