SE: Gandon’s Awards-Filled Day Capped with NCAA Regional Invite
May 03, 2018 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Jeremy Gandon was relaxed as he watched the NCAA Men's Golf Selection Show on Wednesday at Colbert Hills.
Even as tornado warnings interrupted the hour-long announcement of the teams and individuals to make an NCAA Regional, Gandon showed no signs of nerves and anxiety. Nor should he have.
As the Big 12 Conference's automatic qualifier, he knew he was in. Still, when Gandon saw his name pop up in the NCAA Stockton Regional in California, it was a good feeling.
"It's definitely cool," said Gandon, whose automatic berth came after tying for first at last week's Big 12 Championship. "I'm pretty excited."
Gandon, one of 45 individual qualifiers selected for the six NCAA Regionals, finished the regular season on an exciting note.
The junior posted a 4-under par 68 to open the Missouri Tiger Invitational, setting him up to finish tied for ninth for his first top-10 placement in a team tournament all season. He won the following tournament, the Hawkeye Invitational, by four strokes. Then he became K-State's first player to win the conference individual title since 1951.
Gandon's success brought a pair of other significant honors on Wednesday before his NCAA Regional announcement.
In the morning, he became the first Wildcat to earn Big 12 Golfer of the Month honors since Mitchell Gregson (October) and Robert Streb (November), now on the PGA Tour, did so in 2008. In the afternoon, he was named as one of 11 golfers to earn All-Big 12 honors. Only three other Wildcats (Richard Laing, Aaron Watkins and Matt Van Cleave) had previously earned All-Big 12 recognition, the last being in 2005.
Then came the cherry on top, Gandon's first-career bid to an NCAA Regional. He became the eighth Wildcat to earn an individual invite.
"I'm extremely happy for Jeremy," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said of Gandon, who will compete in the NCAA Stockton Regional on May 14-16. "He's worked really hard. He's definitely the hardest worker I've had, and to see that hard work come to fruition like this, it's a great accomplishment for him and a great accomplishment for our program."
Gandon's teammates were also on hand to watch the selection show on the Golf Channel. Once his name appeared on the screen, they let out a collective "there he is!" Gandon, the first Wildcat to qualify for an NCAA Regional since Matt Green in 2015, was then congratulated with a mixture of handshakes, high fives, fist pounds and chest slaps.
"That's pretty cool to have my teammates beside me for this moment," Gandon, K-State's stroke leader this season with a 72.28 average, said. "That means a lot. We've been playing all year together, so even if I'm on the only one to make it, it's always good to have them by my side."
Robbins said he wanted the team there for multiple reasons.
"Our goal is to make it as a team, so we're disappointed as a team. That's why I wanted to whole team to be here to watch it, not only to support Jeremy but to say, 'This is what we're working for,'" Robbins said. "I want them to have that hunger going into next year. I think we've had a really good year with our team. Maybe the results haven't shown it, but this has been a really good year of growth. I think this has been a really good year of building the foundation, and to see Jeremy, who they're all close with and is someone they compete with every day, make it, I think that shows, 'If he can do it, we can do it.'
"All we need is for guys to start playing with more confidence. We've got the ability. We've got the talent. Having someone like Jeremy go and take that next step, I think that's really going to help our team going forward. Meeting with them at the end of the year, they're all hungry. We're disappointed we're not going as a team and I think that's going to propel us next year."
For now, Gandon will represent K-State alone, an honor he does not take lightly.
"It means a lot, just to represent K-State. I love K-State, I love this place, so obviously it means a lot," he said. "I will not only play for myself but for the school as well."
Jeremy Gandon was relaxed as he watched the NCAA Men's Golf Selection Show on Wednesday at Colbert Hills.
Even as tornado warnings interrupted the hour-long announcement of the teams and individuals to make an NCAA Regional, Gandon showed no signs of nerves and anxiety. Nor should he have.
As the Big 12 Conference's automatic qualifier, he knew he was in. Still, when Gandon saw his name pop up in the NCAA Stockton Regional in California, it was a good feeling.
"It's definitely cool," said Gandon, whose automatic berth came after tying for first at last week's Big 12 Championship. "I'm pretty excited."
"I love K-State. It means a lot, not only to play for myself, but as well for the school." #kstatemgolf #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/MUaH0ZOYoq
— K-State Men's Golf (@KStateMGolf) May 3, 2018
Gandon, one of 45 individual qualifiers selected for the six NCAA Regionals, finished the regular season on an exciting note.
The junior posted a 4-under par 68 to open the Missouri Tiger Invitational, setting him up to finish tied for ninth for his first top-10 placement in a team tournament all season. He won the following tournament, the Hawkeye Invitational, by four strokes. Then he became K-State's first player to win the conference individual title since 1951.
Gandon's success brought a pair of other significant honors on Wednesday before his NCAA Regional announcement.
In the morning, he became the first Wildcat to earn Big 12 Golfer of the Month honors since Mitchell Gregson (October) and Robert Streb (November), now on the PGA Tour, did so in 2008. In the afternoon, he was named as one of 11 golfers to earn All-Big 12 honors. Only three other Wildcats (Richard Laing, Aaron Watkins and Matt Van Cleave) had previously earned All-Big 12 recognition, the last being in 2005.
Then came the cherry on top, Gandon's first-career bid to an NCAA Regional. He became the eighth Wildcat to earn an individual invite.
"I'm extremely happy for Jeremy," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said of Gandon, who will compete in the NCAA Stockton Regional on May 14-16. "He's worked really hard. He's definitely the hardest worker I've had, and to see that hard work come to fruition like this, it's a great accomplishment for him and a great accomplishment for our program."
Gandon's teammates were also on hand to watch the selection show on the Golf Channel. Once his name appeared on the screen, they let out a collective "there he is!" Gandon, the first Wildcat to qualify for an NCAA Regional since Matt Green in 2015, was then congratulated with a mixture of handshakes, high fives, fist pounds and chest slaps.
"That's pretty cool to have my teammates beside me for this moment," Gandon, K-State's stroke leader this season with a 72.28 average, said. "That means a lot. We've been playing all year together, so even if I'm on the only one to make it, it's always good to have them by my side."
Robbins said he wanted the team there for multiple reasons.
"Our goal is to make it as a team, so we're disappointed as a team. That's why I wanted to whole team to be here to watch it, not only to support Jeremy but to say, 'This is what we're working for,'" Robbins said. "I want them to have that hunger going into next year. I think we've had a really good year with our team. Maybe the results haven't shown it, but this has been a really good year of growth. I think this has been a really good year of building the foundation, and to see Jeremy, who they're all close with and is someone they compete with every day, make it, I think that shows, 'If he can do it, we can do it.'
"All we need is for guys to start playing with more confidence. We've got the ability. We've got the talent. Having someone like Jeremy go and take that next step, I think that's really going to help our team going forward. Meeting with them at the end of the year, they're all hungry. We're disappointed we're not going as a team and I think that's going to propel us next year."
For now, Gandon will represent K-State alone, an honor he does not take lightly.
"It means a lot, just to represent K-State. I love K-State, I love this place, so obviously it means a lot," he said. "I will not only play for myself but for the school as well."
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