SE: K-State Men’s Golf Ready to Carry Different Confidence, Momentum into Big 12 Championship
Apr 24, 2019 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
There's been a new feeling amongst the K-State men's golf team this semester, one of pure confidence.
It's been building since the Wildcats finished sixth at the Seminole Invitational, after basically two straight months of strictly indoor practices, thanks to a lingering winter. Still, against an extremely talented field, the Wildcats only finished six strokes behind the tournament's winner in Wake Forest, currently ranked No. 3 in the nation.
"We were right there," senior Jeremy Gandon said, "six back of one of the best teams in the country."
That outing, junior Ben Fernandez said, gave the team "some confidence."
The weeks that followed solidified it.
K-State ripped off five straight top-four team finishes — four in the top three and the program's first team title since 2012. The Wildcats also lowered their scoring average for the season from 290.13 when the fall ended to 286.27 — three-plus strokes better than the school record — entering the three-day, 72-hole Big 12 Championship on Friday at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
"Momentum was huge, just going into tournaments, seeing success and gaining that confidence. It just built every tournament to where we just kind of believed more, expected to play well, thinking we can win a tournament," Fernandez said. "That aspect of it was way different, where in past years or in the fall, it was, 'I hope I play well. I hope my teammates play well.' Now, when I'm on the course, I know my teammates are going to play well.
"It's just a different feeling and mindset and confidence."
The stark difference between K-State's fall and spring seasons can be painted with a few statistical comparisons.
On average, K-State finished about 10th in its fall tournaments and 39.3 strokes off the lead. In the spring? Just above third and 12.5, respectively. Individually, K-State had one top-10 finish in the fall and has nine so far in the spring.
"Honestly I think this semester we've played with less pressure and less expectations," Gandon, last year's co-Big 12 medalist, said. "We're good players, and we started playing well and got confidence. We're still building on it. Between fall and spring, it's a universe of difference."
Fernandez said there are two ways to look at the team's development now, as the team sits No. 63 in last week's Golfstat.com rankings (rankings updated every Wednesday) and within reach of a postseason bid beyond the Big 12 Championship.
One is of frustration from the fall. If the team had matched or was even close to its spring numbers, K-State would be a shoo-in for the program's first NCAA Regional bid since 2009.
The other is how K-State has handled it, with appreciation. It's not a despite-the-fall mentality. It's a thanks-to-the-spring approach, positive and with new life.
"That's kind of what makes it so much better is we've had to go through the struggling when we know we're a good team, but we hadn't played to our potential," Fernandez said. "Then actually seeing the results, going through that process, makes it that much more enjoyable and that much sweeter for us."
The Big 12 Championship offers plenty of opportunity to make it even sweeter. Four Big 12 schools rank in the top 10 nationally, with five more ranking inside the top 50. Each team K-State finishes ahead this week would boost its NCAA chances.
"That's a really big advantage of us playing in the Big 12. It's definitely, this year, the best golf conference in the country," Fernandez said. "Every team we beat is a great win for us at this tournament. We're not only looking to beat a couple teams. We're looking to really show how good we actually are.
"It'll be a good test of how good our team actually is because, at the end of the day, it's just a logo on the bag, and it doesn't matter if it's Texas or Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. It's just the score you shoot. You're just playing the golf course."
There's been a new feeling amongst the K-State men's golf team this semester, one of pure confidence.
It's been building since the Wildcats finished sixth at the Seminole Invitational, after basically two straight months of strictly indoor practices, thanks to a lingering winter. Still, against an extremely talented field, the Wildcats only finished six strokes behind the tournament's winner in Wake Forest, currently ranked No. 3 in the nation.
"We were right there," senior Jeremy Gandon said, "six back of one of the best teams in the country."
That outing, junior Ben Fernandez said, gave the team "some confidence."
The weeks that followed solidified it.
K-State ripped off five straight top-four team finishes — four in the top three and the program's first team title since 2012. The Wildcats also lowered their scoring average for the season from 290.13 when the fall ended to 286.27 — three-plus strokes better than the school record — entering the three-day, 72-hole Big 12 Championship on Friday at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
"Momentum was huge, just going into tournaments, seeing success and gaining that confidence. It just built every tournament to where we just kind of believed more, expected to play well, thinking we can win a tournament," Fernandez said. "That aspect of it was way different, where in past years or in the fall, it was, 'I hope I play well. I hope my teammates play well.' Now, when I'm on the course, I know my teammates are going to play well.
"It's just a different feeling and mindset and confidence."
The stark difference between K-State's fall and spring seasons can be painted with a few statistical comparisons.
On average, K-State finished about 10th in its fall tournaments and 39.3 strokes off the lead. In the spring? Just above third and 12.5, respectively. Individually, K-State had one top-10 finish in the fall and has nine so far in the spring.
"Honestly I think this semester we've played with less pressure and less expectations," Gandon, last year's co-Big 12 medalist, said. "We're good players, and we started playing well and got confidence. We're still building on it. Between fall and spring, it's a universe of difference."
Fernandez said there are two ways to look at the team's development now, as the team sits No. 63 in last week's Golfstat.com rankings (rankings updated every Wednesday) and within reach of a postseason bid beyond the Big 12 Championship.
One is of frustration from the fall. If the team had matched or was even close to its spring numbers, K-State would be a shoo-in for the program's first NCAA Regional bid since 2009.
The other is how K-State has handled it, with appreciation. It's not a despite-the-fall mentality. It's a thanks-to-the-spring approach, positive and with new life.
"That's kind of what makes it so much better is we've had to go through the struggling when we know we're a good team, but we hadn't played to our potential," Fernandez said. "Then actually seeing the results, going through that process, makes it that much more enjoyable and that much sweeter for us."
The Big 12 Championship offers plenty of opportunity to make it even sweeter. Four Big 12 schools rank in the top 10 nationally, with five more ranking inside the top 50. Each team K-State finishes ahead this week would boost its NCAA chances.
"That's a really big advantage of us playing in the Big 12. It's definitely, this year, the best golf conference in the country," Fernandez said. "Every team we beat is a great win for us at this tournament. We're not only looking to beat a couple teams. We're looking to really show how good we actually are.
"It'll be a good test of how good our team actually is because, at the end of the day, it's just a logo on the bag, and it doesn't matter if it's Texas or Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. It's just the score you shoot. You're just playing the golf course."
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