K-State, Gandon Claim Mission Inn Spring Spectacular Titles

Saturday, March 16

Howie in the Hills, Fla.

Kansas State University

Mission Inn Spring Spectacular

K-State, Gandon Claim Mission Inn Spring Spectacular Titles

Mar 17, 2019 | Men's Golf

Results/Leaderboard

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – Holding a 36-hole lead after play on Saturday, the Kansas State men's golf team and senior Jeremy Gandon both maintained their top spots on the leaderboards on Sunday to claim the team and individual titles of the Mission Inn Spring Spectacular at the par-72, 6,793-yard El Campeon Golf Course at the Mission Inn Resort & Club.

The team title was K-State's first since the Pacific Invitational in October 2012 and head coach Grant Robbins' first team victory at the helm of the Wildcats.

Kansas State tallied a 16-under par 848 during the tournament, headlined by Sunday's final round of 8-under par 280, a season best for K-State and the second best by any team in the event. The Wildcats finished 13 strokes ahead of second place UCF.

"I'm really proud of these guys," Robbins said. "They have worked so hard and been so close in the past. To have such a solid performance in the final round to get the win speaks volumes of what this team is becoming. Jeremy and Jake (Eklund) played incredibly well, and all five guys contributed in a big way. We have a big tournament coming up next week in North Carolina, and we need to keep it rolling."

This is the first time K-State has won team and individual titles in the same tournament since Ben Juffer led the Wildcats to a win in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic in April 2012.

Gandon carded an 8-under par 208, a season best for the Charpey, France product and the second best in his career. With his first-place finish, Gandon picked up his fourth-career win and now sits one shy of the school record held by Robert Sedorcek.

Junior Jacob Eklund also concluded the tournament on a high note, moving up three spots to tie for second at 6-under par 210, including an impressive 3-under par 69 on Sunday. Junior Ben Fernandez and senior Roland Massimino also made a push on Sunday, jumping four and 16 spots, respectively, to tie for 11^that even-par 216. Massimino made his big jump by firing a 3-under par 69 on Sunday.

Senior JC Campbell finished at 10-over par 226 and tied for 51^st. Freshman Will Hopkins, who competed as an individual, finished the event at 14-over par 230. He improved 16 spots to a tie for 73rd during a final round performance of even-par 73.

K-State continues its spring stretch next weekend, March 23-24, at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Mission Inn Spring Spectacular
El Campeon Golf Course – Mission Inn Resort and Club
Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Par 72 /6,793 yards

Team Scores: 1. Kansas State 282-285-280–848 (-16); 2. UCF 286-284-292–861 (-3); 3. Illinois State 279-292-291–862 (-2); 4. Yale 285-293-289–867 (+3); 5. Cincinnati 290-294-290–874 (+10); 6. Eastern Michigan 286-293-296–875 (+11); T7. Northern Illinois 298-293-292–883 (+19); T7. George Mason 299-293-291–883 (+19); T9. Indiana 303-295-291–889 (+25); T9. Wisconsin 295-301-292–889 (+25); 11. Princeton 304-304-290–898 (+34); 12. Bethune-Cookman 299-296-305–900 (+36); 13. North Alabama 312-298-295–905 (+41); 14. Richmond 301-307-302–910 (+46); 15. Yale (B) 314-305-619 (+47); 16. Florida A&M 308-299-311–918 (+54); 17. Lehigh 313-308–621 (+56).18. Akron 311-305-305–921 (+57);

K-State Individuals: 1. Jeremy Gandon 70-67-71–208 (-8); T2. Jacob Eklund 66-75-69–210 (-6); T11. Ben Fernandez 72-73-71–216 (E); T11. Roland Massimino 75-72-69–216 (E); T51. JC Campbell 78-73-75-–226 (+10); T73. Will Hopkins* 81-77-72–230 (+14).

*denotes competing as an individual