SE: K-State MGLF Looks to Create Consistency, Establish ‘True Number One’ in Spring Season
Feb 20, 2018 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State men's golf head coach Grant Robbins loves his team's depth. It's what he believes could make this team special, but only if it develops in a few ways.
Among the main priorities is creating consistency.
Three different Wildcats — sophomores Jacob Eklund and Ben Fernandez, along with junior Jeremy Gandon — shot or tied for the team-low score in four fall tournaments.
Rarely was more than one Wildcat nearby the team's top finisher in the standings, however. K-State's third and fourth scorers combined to shoot an average of 21.5-over par in the fall, compared to an average of 3-over par between its top-two finishers.
"We see it in practice. The talent is there," Robbins said, referencing a 9-under 63 that true freshman Kyle Vance, eighth on the team in scoring average this season, posted at Colbert Hills last week in a practice round. "It's just a matter of doing it more consistently and believing in themselves in a tournament situation."
All eight of K-State's golfers finished in the top 25 at the USA Individual Tournament last week in Mobile, Alabama. The trip replaced K-State's usual cold-weather escape to Palm Desert, California, where the Wildcats will host a tournament at BIGHORN Golf Club on March 23-24.
Like K-State's traditional pre-spring season trip to BIGHORN, the individual tournament in Alabama helped the Wildcats shake off the rust that a Kansas winter can create. It also prepared K-State for its first two team tournaments of the spring on courses in the Southeast — this weekend's Seminole Invitational at the Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee, Florida, and the Auburn-hosted Tiger Intercollegiate in Opelika, Alabama, on March 4-6.
"At this time of year, it's more about scoring, short game and the touch shots, and those are the things they just need to get more accustomed to with the more reps they have. Ball striking, overall, was very good as a group but just getting the ball in the hole and short game needs to get a little bit better," Robbins said. "It's just part of the process. We're still fairly young. It's just seeing success. I think a breakout's coming. If we have that breakout tournament to where we put three good rounds together and they can see what they're capable of, I think that's really going to propel them forward."
To make this breakout possible, Robbins said one of the Wildcats' many talented players would need to establish himself as the team's true number one.
"I think the strength of our team is our depth. I think we're very deep. What we're lacking is that go-to guy," Robbins said. "I think for us to take that next step as a team, we need someone to emerge as a leader on the course, someone that's capable of winning tournaments and is going to put up a low number. We have several guys that are capable of that. We just need someone to step up."
From a pure talent standpoint, K-State's fourth-year head coach said Gandon makes the most sense. Two seasons ago, the native of France became the first Wildcat freshman to make it on the All-Big 12 Tournament team. He recorded three top-five finishes that season, a level of play Robbins said his junior is more than capable of reaching again.
"Jeremy's probably got the most talent on our team," Robbins said, "and it's just a matter of getting some confidence back."
Fernandez, a native of Southlake, Texas, leads the team this season in stroke average at 72.75, nearly three strokes better than his freshman campaign. Eklund holds the team's best 18-hole score this season, posting a 5-under par 67 in the season-opener back in September. He followed it with a 3-under par 69 en route to finishing tied for 15th.
"Ben's getting more confidence. He's a developmental player that's really improved, and the more that he has that success, the more confidence he's going to get," Robbins said. "And Jake has shown the ability to go low. But we need one of those guys to emerge as the true number one. We're lacking a true number one guy right now and that's our next step."
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K-State men's golf head coach Grant Robbins loves his team's depth. It's what he believes could make this team special, but only if it develops in a few ways.
Among the main priorities is creating consistency.
Three different Wildcats — sophomores Jacob Eklund and Ben Fernandez, along with junior Jeremy Gandon — shot or tied for the team-low score in four fall tournaments.
Rarely was more than one Wildcat nearby the team's top finisher in the standings, however. K-State's third and fourth scorers combined to shoot an average of 21.5-over par in the fall, compared to an average of 3-over par between its top-two finishers.
"We see it in practice. The talent is there," Robbins said, referencing a 9-under 63 that true freshman Kyle Vance, eighth on the team in scoring average this season, posted at Colbert Hills last week in a practice round. "It's just a matter of doing it more consistently and believing in themselves in a tournament situation."
All eight of K-State's golfers finished in the top 25 at the USA Individual Tournament last week in Mobile, Alabama. The trip replaced K-State's usual cold-weather escape to Palm Desert, California, where the Wildcats will host a tournament at BIGHORN Golf Club on March 23-24.
Like K-State's traditional pre-spring season trip to BIGHORN, the individual tournament in Alabama helped the Wildcats shake off the rust that a Kansas winter can create. It also prepared K-State for its first two team tournaments of the spring on courses in the Southeast — this weekend's Seminole Invitational at the Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee, Florida, and the Auburn-hosted Tiger Intercollegiate in Opelika, Alabama, on March 4-6.
"At this time of year, it's more about scoring, short game and the touch shots, and those are the things they just need to get more accustomed to with the more reps they have. Ball striking, overall, was very good as a group but just getting the ball in the hole and short game needs to get a little bit better," Robbins said. "It's just part of the process. We're still fairly young. It's just seeing success. I think a breakout's coming. If we have that breakout tournament to where we put three good rounds together and they can see what they're capable of, I think that's really going to propel them forward."
To make this breakout possible, Robbins said one of the Wildcats' many talented players would need to establish himself as the team's true number one.
"I think the strength of our team is our depth. I think we're very deep. What we're lacking is that go-to guy," Robbins said. "I think for us to take that next step as a team, we need someone to emerge as a leader on the course, someone that's capable of winning tournaments and is going to put up a low number. We have several guys that are capable of that. We just need someone to step up."
From a pure talent standpoint, K-State's fourth-year head coach said Gandon makes the most sense. Two seasons ago, the native of France became the first Wildcat freshman to make it on the All-Big 12 Tournament team. He recorded three top-five finishes that season, a level of play Robbins said his junior is more than capable of reaching again.
"Jeremy's probably got the most talent on our team," Robbins said, "and it's just a matter of getting some confidence back."
Fernandez, a native of Southlake, Texas, leads the team this season in stroke average at 72.75, nearly three strokes better than his freshman campaign. Eklund holds the team's best 18-hole score this season, posting a 5-under par 67 in the season-opener back in September. He followed it with a 3-under par 69 en route to finishing tied for 15th.
"Ben's getting more confidence. He's a developmental player that's really improved, and the more that he has that success, the more confidence he's going to get," Robbins said. "And Jake has shown the ability to go low. But we need one of those guys to emerge as the true number one. We're lacking a true number one guy right now and that's our next step."
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