Wildcats Prepped for Stevinson Ranch Invitational
Mar 18, 2005 | Men's Golf
The Stevinson Ranch Invitational
Stevinson Ranch Golf Club
Stevinson, Calif.
Dates: March 21-22
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,205
Total Holes: 54
Format: 36 holes will be played Monday, March 21, while the final 18 holes will be played Tuesday, March 22.
The Field: (14) Kansas State, Boise State, Cal-State Stanislaus, Colorado, Denver, Drake, Illinois State, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, San Diego, SW Missouri State and Wichita State.
The Stevinson Ranch Lineup
Name Yr-Exp Rnds Avg
Matt Van Cleave Sr-2L 24 72.45
Nick Schumacher Sr-1L 15 74.13
Ben Kern Jr-2L 24 73.62
Kyle Yonke Fr-HS 12 75.58
Tyler Cummins Jr-TR 24 75.25
Individual
Clay Hodge Fr-HS 9 75.66
Setting the Scene
In what has become an annual event for the Kansas State men’s golf team, the Wildcats will travel to Stevinson, Calif., March 21-22 to participate in the Stevinson Ranch Invitational for the seventh consecutive year.
Going Up
K-State has fared well as of late at the Stevinson Ranch Invitational. The Wildcats have either increased or matched their finish from the previous year with each successive trip to Stevinson. Last year, K-State finished second to Kansas by only three strokes. The recent success begs the question, is this the year K-State wins the title?
K-State at Stevinson Ranch
| Year | Score | Finish |
| 1999 | 906 | 10th/18 |
| 2000 | 906 | 10th/18 |
| 2001 | 940 | 9th/14 |
| 2002 | 872 | 3rd/16 |
| 2003 | 872 | 2nd/14 |
| 2004 | 861 | 2nd/14 |
Measuring Stick
The 14-team field that comprises the Stevinson Ranch Invitational is loaded with nine competing schools from NCAA District 5, K-State’s district. The tournament will go a long way in determining which schools receive bids to the NCAA Central Regional in late May. The schools competing from District 5 are Colorado, Drake, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Southwest Missouri State and Wichita State. The remaining schools in the field are Boise State, Cal-State Stanislaus, Denver, Illinois State and San Diego. The Wildcats have experienced success so far this season against the field, holding a record of 6-3. The lone setbacks came versus Missouri once and Kansas twice.
On the Ranch
Stevinson Ranch Golf Club is one of the finest courses in all of California. Golfdigest gave Stevinson Ranch a rating of 4 1/2 stars out of a possible five for its overall golfing experience. The championship layout is a 7,205-yard, par-72 configuration, and the greens feature bend grass. The course opened in September of 1995.
Poll Watching
In the poll released March 15th by Golfweek/Sagarin, the Wildcats are ranked 73rd. GolfStat has K-State ranked 64th in its poll released March 15th.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats improved on last year’s seventh-place finish at the General Jim Hackler Invitational in Murrells Inlet, S.C., and finished fourth. K-State fired a combined team score of 295-296-309900 (+36), 14 strokes off the pace set by host Coastal Carolina. Senior Matt Van Cleave paced the Wildcats for the sixth time in eight events, as he garnered his fourth consecutive top-10 finish and the 13th of his career. The Maryville, Mo., product finished fourth, as he carded a 77-67-74218 (+2). Senior Nick Schumacher, continued to play the best golf of his career, as he finished in a tie for 14th with a 72-75-78225 (+9). Junior Tyler Cummins tied for 34th with a 231 (77-77-77). Junior Ben Kern finished in a tie for 39th, as he shot a 73-77-82232. Freshman Kyle Yonke carded a 73-80-80233 to finish in a tie for 44th.
The Beat Goes On
In what is turning out to be one of the best individual seasons by a Wildcat golfer, Matt Van Cleave continues to etch his name in K-State’s record book. Van Cleave’s second-round 67 at the General Jim Hackler Invitational tied for the lowest 18-hole score on a par-72 in K-State history. The other golfers that have fired a 67 are A.J. Elgert at the Stevinson Ranch Invitational (2002), Brett Vuillemin at the Texas Intercollegiate (1988), and Van Cleave at the Stevinson Ranch Invitational (2004).
The Lineup
For the second consecutive tournament, K-State will send a lineup comprised of seniors Nick Schumacher and Matt Van Cleave, juniors Ben Kern and Tyler Cummins and freshman Kyle Yonke to the Stevinson Ranch Invitational. Freshman Clay Hodge will participate as an individual, in what will be his first tournament since the Mason Rudolph Championship in September. Van Cleave will be making his 27th straight start and the 32nd of his career. Schumacher has rung up three consecutive top-20 finishes. Kern has placed among the Wildcats’ top-two finishers in 13 of 19 career events. Cummins is the only newcomer to participate in every tournament this year. Yonke will be making only the third start of his career.
