Wildcats Tied for 11th at Tiger Invitational
Mar 04, 2018 | Men's Golf
The K-State men's golf team got off to a quick start to the first round of the Tiger Invitational on Sunday but was unable to carry that momentum into the back nine as the Wildcats are tied for 11th place at the par-72, 7,149-yard Grand National Lakes Course.
The Wildcats carded 11 birdies on the front nine en route to a 2-under par score, but only three birdies on the back nine coupled with 18 bogeys or worse led to an 11-over par 299 in the first round of the tournament.
"We got off to a good start, however we made a couple of mistakes early on in the back, and I thought the guys may have pressed a bit," head coach Grant Robbins said. "The greens are extremely firm and fast, and you just have to be patient, especially if you are above the hole.
"We are striking it very well, we just have to adjust better to the speed of the greens. There are a lot of holes left and I look for us to bounce back well tomorrow."
Ben Fernandez posted the Wildcats' best score at 2-over par 74 and will go into the second round tied for 31st. Three Wildcats – Jacob Eklund, Jeremy Gandon and Roland Massimino – posted identical scores of 3-over par 75 to sit in a tie for 40th.
Rounding out the scoring lineup, JC Campbell shot a 6-over par 78. Trent Evans, who is playing as an individual, is a shot back at 7-over par 79.
Host school Auburn is in first place at 7-under par 281, three shots ahead of Kennesaw State. Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero of Kennesaw State fired a 6-under par 66 in the first round to sit atop the individual leaderboard.
K-State will tee off hole No. 10 at 7:40 a.m., to begin the second round of the Tiger Invitational. Live scoring can be found at www.golfstat.com.
Tiger Invitational
Grand National Lakes Course
Opelika, Ala.
Par 72 / 7,149 Yards
Team Scores: 1. Auburn, 281 (-7); 2. Kennesaw State, 284 (-4); 3. Mississippi State, 289 (+1); T4. Maryland, 292 (+4); T4. Charlotte, 292 (+4); 6. UNCG, 293 (+5); T7. Minnesota, 296 (+8); T7. Southern Mississippi, 296 (+8); T7. Georgia State, 296 (+8); 10. Missouri, 297 (+9); T11. Kansas State, 299 (+11); T11. James Madison, 299 (+11); 13. UNCW, 301 (+13); T14. Troy, 302 (+14); T14. Chattanooga, 302 (+14); 16. South Alabama, 303 (+15); 17. Samford, 313 (+25).
Top Individuals: 1. Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero, Kennesaw State, 66 (-6); 2. David Kocher, Maryland, 67 (-5); T3. Conor Purcell, Charlotte, 68 (-4); T3. Jovan Rebula, Auburn, 68 (-4); T3. Wells Padgett, Auburn, 68 (+4).
K-State Individuals: T31. Ben Fernandez, 74 (+2); T40. Jacob Eklund, 75 (+3); T40. Jeremy Gandon, 75 (+3); T40. Roland Massimino, 75 (+3); T72. JC Campbell, 78 (+6); T77. Trent Evans, 79 (+7).
The Wildcats carded 11 birdies on the front nine en route to a 2-under par score, but only three birdies on the back nine coupled with 18 bogeys or worse led to an 11-over par 299 in the first round of the tournament.
"We got off to a good start, however we made a couple of mistakes early on in the back, and I thought the guys may have pressed a bit," head coach Grant Robbins said. "The greens are extremely firm and fast, and you just have to be patient, especially if you are above the hole.
"We are striking it very well, we just have to adjust better to the speed of the greens. There are a lot of holes left and I look for us to bounce back well tomorrow."
Ben Fernandez posted the Wildcats' best score at 2-over par 74 and will go into the second round tied for 31st. Three Wildcats – Jacob Eklund, Jeremy Gandon and Roland Massimino – posted identical scores of 3-over par 75 to sit in a tie for 40th.
Rounding out the scoring lineup, JC Campbell shot a 6-over par 78. Trent Evans, who is playing as an individual, is a shot back at 7-over par 79.
Host school Auburn is in first place at 7-under par 281, three shots ahead of Kennesaw State. Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero of Kennesaw State fired a 6-under par 66 in the first round to sit atop the individual leaderboard.
K-State will tee off hole No. 10 at 7:40 a.m., to begin the second round of the Tiger Invitational. Live scoring can be found at www.golfstat.com.
Tiger Invitational
Grand National Lakes Course
Opelika, Ala.
Par 72 / 7,149 Yards
Team Scores: 1. Auburn, 281 (-7); 2. Kennesaw State, 284 (-4); 3. Mississippi State, 289 (+1); T4. Maryland, 292 (+4); T4. Charlotte, 292 (+4); 6. UNCG, 293 (+5); T7. Minnesota, 296 (+8); T7. Southern Mississippi, 296 (+8); T7. Georgia State, 296 (+8); 10. Missouri, 297 (+9); T11. Kansas State, 299 (+11); T11. James Madison, 299 (+11); 13. UNCW, 301 (+13); T14. Troy, 302 (+14); T14. Chattanooga, 302 (+14); 16. South Alabama, 303 (+15); 17. Samford, 313 (+25).
Top Individuals: 1. Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero, Kennesaw State, 66 (-6); 2. David Kocher, Maryland, 67 (-5); T3. Conor Purcell, Charlotte, 68 (-4); T3. Jovan Rebula, Auburn, 68 (-4); T3. Wells Padgett, Auburn, 68 (+4).
K-State Individuals: T31. Ben Fernandez, 74 (+2); T40. Jacob Eklund, 75 (+3); T40. Jeremy Gandon, 75 (+3); T40. Roland Massimino, 75 (+3); T72. JC Campbell, 78 (+6); T77. Trent Evans, 79 (+7).
Players Mentioned
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