SE: K-State Men’s Golf Aims to Take Recent Recipe for Success into Big 12 Championship
Apr 23, 2018 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Less pressure, better results.
If there's a simple answer to the recent rise of K-State men's golf, this is it: The Wildcats stopped heaping pressure on their shoulders to start tournaments. The payoff has been significant.
"We just put too much pressure on ourselves," junior Jeremy Gandon said of the team's season as whole, "and we would get very frustrated quickly because we know we're good, but we couldn't do it."
That frustration dissipated the last few weeks for K-State, which tees off on Monday for the three-day, 72-hole Big 12 Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In back-to-back outings, the Wildcats placed second at the Missouri Tiger Invitational and third at the Iowa-hosted Hawkeye Invitational. Between the two tournaments, they recorded their season's three best rounds vs. par.
"We played really good at the first round at Missouri," Gandon said of the team's 7-under par 281 to start the Missouri Tiger Invitational. "Then from there, that was kind of a relief. Our minds were freer."
Gandon finished tied for ninth at the Missouri Tiger Invitational and won the weather-shortened Hawkeye Invitational by four strokes, the native of France's first victory since his standout freshman season. Like the team's results, he credited his success to the first round at Missouri, where he posted a 4-under par 68.
"It gave me a mental break and it gave me confidence," he said. "I don't know why, but after that round I didn't put too much pressure on myself like I used to do."
As impressive as Gandon's 6-under par 66 was to start the Hawkeye Invitational, K-State head coach Grant Robbins said his 2-under par 70 the next day in adverse weather was "one of the best I've seen in all my years of coaching."
"When you combine having a lead, plus the conditions that he had, it was just a really, really solid round of golf," Robbins said, before emphasizing the type of difference-maker Gandon can be for the Wildcats. "We're just a completely different team (when he plays well). We've been lacking that go-to guy, and he's the one that has the talent and is most capable of doing it. He's one of those kids that puts a lot of pressure on himself. Really, what helped him at Iowa is he just went out and played without the expectations."
The rest of the Wildcats followed suit.
They finished the Missouri Tiger Invitational with a score of 14-under par 850, besting their previous season-low score by 17 strokes. It's also the program's lowest team total since March of 2016.
"I knew we were capable of it all year, and I also knew that it was going to happen, that we were going to break out at some point and play well," Robbins said. "They play so well at home and it just hasn't been translating on the road, for whatever reason. It's just part of that process. They just keep improving and it so much has to do with confidence."
Along with the team's results-proven belief in itself, Robbins also said the fact the same lineup has been used for the past four tournaments has also been significant.
"This group has formed some good chemistry together," he said. "They're not worried about their spot in between tournaments. We're doing things to get them individually better and that's played a role as well."
K-State looks to put all of it, the momentum, confidence and pressure-free mindset, to the ultimate test at the Big 12 Championship.
The field will include five teams ranked in the top 15 of Golfstat's national poll, including No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Oklahoma. The course, Southern Hills Country Club, has hosted 15 major golf championships since 1946 and will present its own set of challenges.
"Every Big 12 Championship is very exciting to go to. The course is always good. The field is always very competitive," Gandon said. "But we have nothing to lose and we just need to try to replicate what we did the last two tournaments. We can even do better, if we play well at the same time.
"We just have to believe it and make it happen."
Less pressure, better results.
If there's a simple answer to the recent rise of K-State men's golf, this is it: The Wildcats stopped heaping pressure on their shoulders to start tournaments. The payoff has been significant.
"We just put too much pressure on ourselves," junior Jeremy Gandon said of the team's season as whole, "and we would get very frustrated quickly because we know we're good, but we couldn't do it."
That frustration dissipated the last few weeks for K-State, which tees off on Monday for the three-day, 72-hole Big 12 Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In back-to-back outings, the Wildcats placed second at the Missouri Tiger Invitational and third at the Iowa-hosted Hawkeye Invitational. Between the two tournaments, they recorded their season's three best rounds vs. par.
"We played really good at the first round at Missouri," Gandon said of the team's 7-under par 281 to start the Missouri Tiger Invitational. "Then from there, that was kind of a relief. Our minds were freer."
Gandon finished tied for ninth at the Missouri Tiger Invitational and won the weather-shortened Hawkeye Invitational by four strokes, the native of France's first victory since his standout freshman season. Like the team's results, he credited his success to the first round at Missouri, where he posted a 4-under par 68.
"It gave me a mental break and it gave me confidence," he said. "I don't know why, but after that round I didn't put too much pressure on myself like I used to do."
As impressive as Gandon's 6-under par 66 was to start the Hawkeye Invitational, K-State head coach Grant Robbins said his 2-under par 70 the next day in adverse weather was "one of the best I've seen in all my years of coaching."
"When you combine having a lead, plus the conditions that he had, it was just a really, really solid round of golf," Robbins said, before emphasizing the type of difference-maker Gandon can be for the Wildcats. "We're just a completely different team (when he plays well). We've been lacking that go-to guy, and he's the one that has the talent and is most capable of doing it. He's one of those kids that puts a lot of pressure on himself. Really, what helped him at Iowa is he just went out and played without the expectations."
The rest of the Wildcats followed suit.
They finished the Missouri Tiger Invitational with a score of 14-under par 850, besting their previous season-low score by 17 strokes. It's also the program's lowest team total since March of 2016.
"I knew we were capable of it all year, and I also knew that it was going to happen, that we were going to break out at some point and play well," Robbins said. "They play so well at home and it just hasn't been translating on the road, for whatever reason. It's just part of that process. They just keep improving and it so much has to do with confidence."
Along with the team's results-proven belief in itself, Robbins also said the fact the same lineup has been used for the past four tournaments has also been significant.
"This group has formed some good chemistry together," he said. "They're not worried about their spot in between tournaments. We're doing things to get them individually better and that's played a role as well."
K-State looks to put all of it, the momentum, confidence and pressure-free mindset, to the ultimate test at the Big 12 Championship.
The field will include five teams ranked in the top 15 of Golfstat's national poll, including No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Oklahoma. The course, Southern Hills Country Club, has hosted 15 major golf championships since 1946 and will present its own set of challenges.
"Every Big 12 Championship is very exciting to go to. The course is always good. The field is always very competitive," Gandon said. "But we have nothing to lose and we just need to try to replicate what we did the last two tournaments. We can even do better, if we play well at the same time.
"We just have to believe it and make it happen."
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