SE: K-State Men’s Golf Looks to Carry Competitive Qualifying into 2018-19 Season
Sep 16, 2018 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
It wasn't a tournament, per se, but the K-State men's golf team's qualifying setup for its season-opener sure felt like one.
"It was definitely similar," redshirt junior Ben Fernandez said.
"It was the most competitive (qualifying) since I've been here, by a long shot," added head coach Grant Robbins, "which is what we always wanted."
Jeremy Gandon, a senior and reigning Big 12 co-champion, received the only automatic roster spot for K-State's season-opening tournament, the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He received an exemption because he was playing in the World Amateur Team Championships in Irelandduring some of his team's qualifying rounds in Manhattan.
The other four positions? They were completely up for grabs.
To determine the rest of the five-man lineup for their first tournament of the 2018-19 schedule, which starts Sunday and runs through Tuesday, the Wildcats played two 54-hole qualifying practice tournaments.
The winner of each three-round, intra-squad battle claimed a roster spot. Two more positions were awarded to the next pair of Wildcats with the lowest combined totals from the 108 holes of qualifying.
"We preach mental toughness and the only the way to do that, to practice that, is to perform under pressure and, quite honesty, we really haven't had that (the past few years)," Robbins said. "There's always been a battle for the four and five spot, maybe before, but there was a battle for all of the spots this time. No one spot was safe, except for Jeremy. Just to see the intensity, the competition and seeing which guys performed well under pressure and which ones didn't, I think that was a great learning experience for all of the team and for the coaches as well."
Brian Choe, a redshirt freshman, claimed the first of the 54-hole qualifying spots for K-State. Will Hopkins won the second three-round qualifier. Hopkins, a true freshman out of Lincolnshire, England, did so by firing a 6-under par 66 in the final round at Colbert Hills on a windy day that he started seven shots back of the lead.
Kyle Vance, a sophomore, and Fernandez rounded out K-State's qualifiers with their cumulative scores.
"I really like how competitive it is. Qualifying has been a lot more competitive. Guys are having to play well to make the lineup, which has been different in years past," Fernandez, who had the second-lowest scoring average on the team last year, said. "You have to basically shoot even par or better, or close to it, to even have a chance. We played 108 holes of qualifying over the past two weeks and it's been a grind, but it's been good. When you go to tournaments and you're under the gun, having that practice and experience of feeling that at home, it's good experience."
"If we keep this up," Choe added, "it's only going to improve the team."
Only two Wildcats in K-State's lineup for this week's tournament, Gandon and Fernandez, were regular contributors to team scores a year ago. Choe credited this to the team's increased depth in talent this year and said it should bode well for its success this season.
"It's going to be crazy how good we can be. We have the talent. Now we just have to put five guys on a squad that can go out there and shoot low scores, and maybe the five guys out there are going to be different (every tournament) but that's a good thing," Choe said. "That just shows how competitive our team is."
The real test, Robbins said, will be how this competitiveness translates to tournaments.
"You never know until they tee it up for real, but I like what I'm seeing," he said. "I like the mentality and the attitude that the guys have. The talent's definitely there. Now we just have to do it on the road."
It wasn't a tournament, per se, but the K-State men's golf team's qualifying setup for its season-opener sure felt like one.
"It was definitely similar," redshirt junior Ben Fernandez said.
"It was the most competitive (qualifying) since I've been here, by a long shot," added head coach Grant Robbins, "which is what we always wanted."
Jeremy Gandon, a senior and reigning Big 12 co-champion, received the only automatic roster spot for K-State's season-opening tournament, the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He received an exemption because he was playing in the World Amateur Team Championships in Irelandduring some of his team's qualifying rounds in Manhattan.
The other four positions? They were completely up for grabs.
To determine the rest of the five-man lineup for their first tournament of the 2018-19 schedule, which starts Sunday and runs through Tuesday, the Wildcats played two 54-hole qualifying practice tournaments.
The winner of each three-round, intra-squad battle claimed a roster spot. Two more positions were awarded to the next pair of Wildcats with the lowest combined totals from the 108 holes of qualifying.
"We preach mental toughness and the only the way to do that, to practice that, is to perform under pressure and, quite honesty, we really haven't had that (the past few years)," Robbins said. "There's always been a battle for the four and five spot, maybe before, but there was a battle for all of the spots this time. No one spot was safe, except for Jeremy. Just to see the intensity, the competition and seeing which guys performed well under pressure and which ones didn't, I think that was a great learning experience for all of the team and for the coaches as well."
Brian Choe, a redshirt freshman, claimed the first of the 54-hole qualifying spots for K-State. Will Hopkins won the second three-round qualifier. Hopkins, a true freshman out of Lincolnshire, England, did so by firing a 6-under par 66 in the final round at Colbert Hills on a windy day that he started seven shots back of the lead.
Kyle Vance, a sophomore, and Fernandez rounded out K-State's qualifiers with their cumulative scores.
"I really like how competitive it is. Qualifying has been a lot more competitive. Guys are having to play well to make the lineup, which has been different in years past," Fernandez, who had the second-lowest scoring average on the team last year, said. "You have to basically shoot even par or better, or close to it, to even have a chance. We played 108 holes of qualifying over the past two weeks and it's been a grind, but it's been good. When you go to tournaments and you're under the gun, having that practice and experience of feeling that at home, it's good experience."
"If we keep this up," Choe added, "it's only going to improve the team."
Only two Wildcats in K-State's lineup for this week's tournament, Gandon and Fernandez, were regular contributors to team scores a year ago. Choe credited this to the team's increased depth in talent this year and said it should bode well for its success this season.
"It's going to be crazy how good we can be. We have the talent. Now we just have to put five guys on a squad that can go out there and shoot low scores, and maybe the five guys out there are going to be different (every tournament) but that's a good thing," Choe said. "That just shows how competitive our team is."
The real test, Robbins said, will be how this competitiveness translates to tournaments.
"You never know until they tee it up for real, but I like what I'm seeing," he said. "I like the mentality and the attitude that the guys have. The talent's definitely there. Now we just have to do it on the road."
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