Eklund, Massimino Guide K-State to Fifth after Day One
Mar 04, 2019 | Men's Golf
BLUFFTON, S.C. – Kansas State junior Jacob Eklund and senior Roland Massimino each carded a 4-under par 68 in the second round to lead the Wildcats to fifth place following the first and second rounds of the Colleton River Collegiate on Monday played on the par-72, 7,180-yard Pete Dye Course at the Colleton River Club.
Eklund, who had six birdies in the afternoon, and Massimino, who capped his round with an eagle, are tied for sixth with a 36-hole score of 3-under par 141. The Wildcats, who were in ninth place following a 10-over par 298 round one, bounced back in afternoon, shooting 6-under par 282 to move up four spots. K-State enters Tuesday's final round three strokes behind 47th-ranked Iowa for fourth place.
"I was really proud of how the guys bounced back today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "The conditions were pretty tough this morning. I thought we got off to a solid start start, however we made some big numbers on the last few holes of round one. The wind calmed down a little in the afternoon and we are able to take advantage and make a few birdies. It looks like the conditions will be tough again tomorrow morning. If we can stay patient and play our game, we have a great opportunity to move up."
Following Eklund and Massimino for the Cats is freshman Will Hopkins, who, competing solely as an individual, carded a 3-over par 147 and is tied for 29th. Senior Jeremy Gandon finished the first two rounds in a tie for 44th at 5-over par 149. Senior JC Campbell finished one stroke behind Gandon and in a tie for 47th place, while junior Ben Fernandez enters the final round tied for 54th after carding a 7-over 151.
Tournament host Michigan State exited day one in first place, four strokes ahead of second place and 45th-ranked Iowa State. The Spartans were led by Donnie Trosper, whose 8-under par 136 put him on top of the leaderboard on day one.
Tee times for the final round of the 2019 Colleton River Collegiate begin at 8 a.m. (ET). Live scoring can be followed at www.golfstat.com.
Colleton River Collegiate
Pete Dye Course/Colleton River Club
Bluffton, South Carolina
Par 72/ 7,196 yards
Team Scores: 1. Michigan State 282-281–563 (-13); 2. Iowa State 292-275–567 (-9); 3. Memphis 292-283–575 (-1); 4. Iowa 291-286–577 (+1); 5. Kansas State 298-282–580 (+4); 6. Penn State 297-286–583 (+7); T7. Georgia Southern 293-291–584 (+8); T7 Rutgers 296-288–584 (+8); 9. Wisconsin 288-301–589 (+13); 10. Eastern Michigan 301-289–590 (+14); 11. Cincinnati 302-289–591 (+15); 12. Miami (OH) 308-291–599 (+23); 13. Oakland 304-304–608 (+32); 14. Bowling Green State 299-311–610 (+34).
Top Individuals: 1. Donnie Trosper, Michigan State 69-67–136 (-8); 2. Lachlan Barker, Iowa State 72-65–137 (-7); 3. Alex Schaake, Iowa 68-70–138 (-6).
K-State Individuals: T6. Roland Massimino 73-68–141 (-3); T6. Jacob Eklund 73-68–131 (-3); T29 Will Hopkins* 74-73–147 (+3); T44. Jeremy Gandon 75-74–149 (+5); T47. JC Campbell 78-72–150 (+6); T54. Ben Fernandez 77-74–151 (+7).
*denotes competing as an individual
Players Mentioned
