Kansas State University
Tar Heel Intercollegiate
K-State Places Third Behind Eklund's Top Five Finish
Mar 24, 2019 | Men's Golf
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Kansas State men's golf team and junior Jacob Eklund both moved up the leaderboard during Sunday's final round of the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, played on the par-72, 7,242-yard UNC Finley Golf Course.
The Wildcats, who were tied for fifth entering the final 18 holes, moved up two places after a 2-over par 290. K-State finished the tournament at 12-over par 876, one stroke ahead of North Florida, who is ranked 13th in the nation.
Eklund tallied the best final round in the tournament at 4-under par 68. The Carbondale, Illinois, product moved up 13 places on Sunday and finished fifth with a 54-hole score of 2-under par 214.
"I'm really proud if the guys this week, especially with the way they competed," head coach Grant Robbins. "We left a lot of shots out there, but they have all stayed patient and gave it everything they had. Jake had another great week and Roland (Massimino) was really solid as well. Jeremy (Gandon) and Ben (Fernandez) struggled a little bit on the greens but they competed really well. We have a couple of weeks now where we need to clean some things in the short game, but I really like the way these guys are coming together and the direction we are headed."
Senior Roland Massimino added another top-20 finish, carding a 3-over par 219 to tie for 19th. Junior Ben Fernandez was two strokes behind Massimino at 5-over par 221 and in a tie for 26th. Senior Jeremy Gandon was able to climb up one spot on Sunday as he tied for 31st with a score of 7-over 223. Senior JC Campbell tallied a 10-over par 226 and finished in a tie for 46th.
Tournament-host North Carolina won its event for a second-straight year. The 30th-ranked Tar Heels were the only team to finish the tournament under par, shooting 1-under par 863 to edge No. 24 Illinois by six shots. Adrien Dumont de Chassart of Illinois won the individual title at 9-under par 207, an impressive six shots better than three players that tied for second.
The Wildcats return to action April 8-9 at the Missouri Tiger Intercollegiate in Columbia, Missouri.
Tar Heel Intercollegiate
UNC Finley Golf Course
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Par 72, 7,242 Yards
Team Scores: 1. North Carolina 287-288-288–863 (-1); 2. Illinois 286-288-295-–869 (+5); 3. Kansas State 288-298-290–876 (+12); 4. North Florida 296-286-295–877 (+13); 5. Notre Dame 302-284-292–878 (+14); T6. UNCG 300-297-287-884 (+20); T6. Michigan State 296-288-301–884 (+20); T8. Georgia Southern 294-302-292–888 (+24); T8. Elon 295-304-289–888 (+24);10. Mississippi State 294-302-293–889 (+25); T11. James Madison 295-304-295–894 (+30); 14. Michigan 304-309-285–898 (+34). 13. UNCW 300-298-310–908 (+44); 14. Gardner-Webb 309-302-302–913 (+49);
K-State Individuals: 5. Jacob Eklund 73-73-68–214 (-2); T19. Roland Massimino 71-75-73–219 (+3); T26. Ben Fernandez 71-75-75–221 (+5); T31. Jeremy Gandon 74-75-74–223 (+7); T46. JC Campbell 73-77-76–226 (+10).
Players Mentioned
