MANHATTAN, Kan. - After two tough spring tournaments, the Kansas State women’s golf team will travel into unknown territory when they journey to Kaneohe, Hawaii, for the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational March 21-22. The Cats look to get back to fall form and compete to finish in the top half of the field. The two-day tournament will take place at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Couse, a course that has yet to be played by any of the young Wildcats.
THE FIELD: The Thompson Invitational field will include only three squads that the Wildcats have previously faced, compiling a 3-3-0 record. Tennessee comes in as the top team, ranking No. 14 on the Golfweek/Sagarin index. No. 24 New Mexico and No. 29 LSU are the remaining two schools in the top 50. K-State will once again face No. 53 Notre Dame, who finished last in the Texas A&M “Mo”Morial on March 12. Princeton, host Hawaii and UTEP round out the field of DI competitors. Hawaii-Hilo, ranked No. 27 in DII, is also competing, as well as NAIA’s second-ranked British Columbia. Osaka Gakuin University, of Japan, completes the field of 11.
PLAYING HOST Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course: One thing Kaneohe Klipper GC doesn’t lack is a view. The 18-hole golf championship golf course has a separate view for the front nine and the back nine. The front contains a sight of the Ko’olau Mountains, while the back is nestled up against the Pacific coastline, allowing for an ocean breeze throughout the rounds. Last year’s Thompson Invitational saw high scores across the board, with Washington State taking the team title after carding 976. WSU stole the top two individual spots, with Kim Welch taking the title shooting a 19-over 235. The previous year found better scores, with New Mexico shooting 889 to win the tourney. WSU’s Welch also won in 2004, shooting a 1-under 71 in the final round. Runner-up Christine Fernandez of New Mexico shot a field-low 4-under 68 in the second round.
LAST TIME OUT: On an extremely difficult course against a tough field containing 10 then-top-50 teams, K-State battled to a 12th-place finish. The Wildcats struggled through the well-bunkered greens and carded rounds of 326-329-329984. The highlight from the “Mo”Morial was defeating two schools with a higher rank, Oregon State and Notre Dame, who finished 13th and 18th respectively. The Cats failed to place an individual in the top 20 for the second time this season, as Helene Robert was the team’s top finisher, tying for 24th. Robert carded rounds of 79-77-82238. Returning from injury, Michelle Regan tied for 49th, shooting 80-81-84245. Kali Quick tied for 69th (251), Katy Heffel finished 77th (255), and Hailey Mireles placed 78th (256). Competing individually for the Wildcats was freshman Krista Nelson, who finished 94th with a score of 277.
BIG 12 REPORT CARD: No matter which ratings you look at, the Big 12 has five schools ranked in the top 50 in the nation. The lastest Golfweek/Sagarin performance index has Texas A&M leading the pack with a 16 ranking, ahead of Oklahoma State (20). Baylor, Missouri and Nebraska are ranked 27th, 32nd, and 46th, respectively. Kansas State sits at 71st in both polls, just ahead of Texas Tech. When sizing up the Wildcats against the other conference schools, the Wildcats are eighth based on average score, a little more than half of a stroke behind Oklahoma and one stroke behind in-state rival Kansas. Individually, the Big 12 has six student-athletes ranked in the top 100 nationally, with Texas A&M’s Ashley Knoll at No. 5. The top individual for Kansas State is Helene Robert, who is No. 238 (Golfweek/Sagarin) and No. 297 (Golfstat).
K-State’s Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational Lineup
Name Yr. Hometown Rnds Avg.
Katy Heffel Jr. Mesa, Ariz. 21 79.81
Hailey Mireles So. Garden City, Kan. 21 79.71
Kali Quick So. Nampa, Idaho 21 77.71
Helene Robert Jr. Lac Brome, Quebec 21 77.05
Michelle Regan So. Prairie Village, Kan. 18 78.61
Krista Nelson (ind.) Fr. Overland Park, Kan. 6 86.67
