Golfers Wrap Up Fall Season in Waco
Oct 24, 2002 | Men's Golf
Oct. 24, 2002
Henry Griffitts/Baylor Inter.
Bear Ridge Golf Club
Waco, Texas
Dates: Oct. 28-29
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,478
The Field: Kansas State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Baylor, Iowa State, Lamar, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisville, Maryland, North Texas, Rice, SMU, Southeast Louisiana, UT-Arlington, UT-San Antonio, and Wichita State
Last Hurrah of Fall
The Kansas State men's golf team ends its fall season on Oct. 28-29, when the Wildcats head south to Waco, Texas, to compete in the Henry Griffitts/Baylor Intercollegiate. The tournament wil be played at Baylor's new Bear Ridge Golf Club, which became the team's new home in November of 2001.
Last Time Out: 'Cats Downs OU
The Wildcats defeated the Oklahoma Sooners by 32 strokes in the Kansas State/Oklahoma Shootout at Colbert Hills Golf Course on Oct 17. The dual match, which was shortened to 27 holes after a morning frost delay, pitted eight Wildcats against eight Sooners, with the best six out of eight scores for each round counting toward the team score.
The 'Cats jumped OU to a 17-stroke lead over OU in the first 18 holes with a 454. The 'Cats never looked back, as they increased their lead 15 more strokes over the nine-hole second round to finish with a total of 668 to the Sooners' 700. Junior Aaron Watkins claimed his second individual victory at Colbert Hills this season, firing rounds of 69-33 to finish at a sizzling 6-under-par 102.
Tee Time
After an a different style of tournament at Colbert Hills , the Wildcats will return to the standard, 54-hole tournament format in Waco, with 36 holes being played on Monday followed by 18 on Tuesday. Shotgun starts are as follows:
Round 1 - 8:00 a.m. (10/28)
Round 2 - 1:00 p.m. (10/28)
Round 3 - 8:00 a.m. (10/29)
Record Tournament
The Wildcats made significant additions to the record book at last year's Baylor Intercollegiate. The team posted an 855 (296-281-278) to shatter the team three-round score of record of 869 set at the 1999 Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate. Aaron Watkins' tournament total of 210 (75-66-69) set a record for individual three-round scores, breaking Mark Sears record of 212 at the 1998 Wildcat Intercollegiate.
Watkins Working Wonders
After a stellar summer, things just keep getting better for Aaron Watkins. The junior co-captain currently ranks as the No. 12/No. 28 individual in the country in the Sagarin/GolfStat Rankings. He captured his first collegiate medalist title at the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate, seperating himself from the rest of the field by a total of seven strokes. In addition, Watkins tied his own individual three-round record of 210 at the Purina Classic two weeks ago, and leads the team in stroke average at 71.48.
The Young and the Restless
True freshman Josh Persons has provided a strong supporting role to the leadership on the team during the fall season. The Fargo, N.D., native has competed in every tournament for the Wildcats during the fall, garnering two top-20 finishes along the way. His best showing came at the Fairway Club Invitational, his first NCAA tournament, where he tied for 17th with a 73-74-77=223.
Big Movers
K-State made a large jump in the rankings after last week's dual with Oklahoma, moving up 29 spots from No. 48 to No. 19 in the Sagarin rankings. The team came in at No. 27 in the GolfStat rankings. In the individual standings, Aaron Watkins moved up from No. 27 to No. 12 in the Sagarins, and is No. 28 in GolfStat.
