Kansas State Set to Host NCAA Men's Central Regional Golf Championships
May 05, 2003 | Men's Golf
May 5, 2003
MANHATTAN, Kan. - It has been a decade since the Kansas State men's golf program received its last NCAA Regional berth. That drought ended today when the NCAA Golf Committee presented the Wildcats with their first postseason bid since 1993.
K-State, which will host the 2003 NCAA Men's Central Regional Golf Championships May 15-17 at Colbert Hills, will be one of 27 teams in Manhattan battling for the right to advance to the NCAA Championships.
"It has been a season-long goal for the team to play in this regional," said K-State men's golf coach Tim Norris. "The pressure has been on us to perform well at every event and (the team) came through. The pressure is off of us now and is on the teams that come in to learn how to play this course. If we play well we have an excellent chance of advancing (to the NCAA Championships)."
The Central Regional is one of three tournaments being contested to determine the field for the 2003 NCAA Men's Golf Championships, May 27-30 at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla. The low 10 teams and the low two individuals not on those teams will advance.
Joining Kansas State at Colbert Hills will be Texas, TCU, Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Northwestern, SMU, Baylor, Tulsa, Kentucky, Lamar, Toledo, Michigan State, Wichita State, North Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Kent State, Texas Tech, Kansas, Missouri, and Wright State.
Kansas State finished in the top five in six of 12 tournaments this season. The Wildcats also boasted their first All-Big 12 selection in junior Aaron Watkins.
"The program continues to evolve," Norris added. "We've made a commitment to golf here at Kansas State and Jim Colbert and many others had a vision for this program. The expectation is to move higher and higher every year. This is an important first step."
The 2003 NCAA Men's Central Regional Golf Championships will consist of 54 holes, with 18 holes played each of the three days of the event. Play during each round will be divided into two sessions - a morning wave teeing off on holes No. 1 and 10 between 7:12 a.m. and 8:33 a.m. and an afternoon wave beginning on holes No. 1 and 10 between 11:15 a.m. and 1:21 p.m.
Admission to the tournament is free of charge.
