Eklund's Big Day Leads K-State to Third after Day One
Apr 08, 2019 | Men's Golf
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Junior Jacob Eklund and the Kansas State men's golf team both tallied season-best rounds during the first and second rounds of the Missouri Tiger Invitational on Monday at the par-72, 7,221-yard Club at Old Hawthorne.
Eklund, coming off of a top-five finish at the Tar Heel Classic, continued his impressive play as the Carbondale, Illinois product tallied a 13-under par 131. Eklund's impressive outing on Monday puts him atop the leaderboard, two strokes ahead of TCU's Stefano Mazzoli, who is ranked 46th nationally. Eklund's day did not include any bogeys, while his 65 during the afternoon tied for the fifth-best round in school history. Additionally, Eklund's 36-hole score of 131 was the lowest by a Wildcat since Ben Juffer did so when he won the 2012 Wyoming Cowboy Classic.
As a team, K-State had its best two rounds of the season, carding an impressive 24-under par 552. The Wildcats recorded identical scores of 276, which ranks as the 11th lowest in school history and were the lowest rounds since 2012.
"We played really well," head coach Grant Robbins said. "Anytime you can shoot 24-under, of course you've done a good job. This is a golf course that really fits us, and we knew that we would have to shoot low. Jake really played well and took it deep. Ben (Fernandez) and Jeremy (Gandon) played solid. They left a lot of putts out there in the second round, but they are playing really well, and they are capable of some low scores."
Junior Ben Fernandez and senior Jeremy Gandon are currently tied for 18th at 4-under par 140, which included first-round scores of 68 and 69, respectively. Senior Roland Massimino is tied for 24th, one stroke behind Fernandez and Gandon, at 3-under par 141 thanks in part to a second-round 68. Freshman Will Hopkins is at 4-over par 148 and in a tie for 49th, while senior JC Campbell, who is competing as an individual, carded a 2-under par 142 and is in a tie for 29th.
"We are right where we need to be," Robbins said. "We are eight shots off the lead, so we have a chance on Tuesday. The conditions right now are perfect, and the greens are really good, which obviously can lead to low scoring. Tomorrow, we just have to come out, have the same plan and just make some more putts. However, we are going to need everyone to go out there and give it everything they have."
TCU finds itself atop the leaderboard after day one. The 35th-ranked Horned Frogs are five strokes ahead of second place and host school Missouri, and the Horned Frogs are eight strokes ahead of K-State.
Live scoring of the final round of the Missouri Tiger Invitational can be followed at www.golfstat.com.
Missouri Tiger Invitational
The Club at Old Hawthorne
Columbia, Missouri
Par 72, 7,2221Yards
Team Scores: 1. TCU 267-277–544 (-32); 2. Missouri 275-274–549 (-27); 3. Kansas State 276-276–552 (-24); 4. Illinois State 281-279–560 (-16); 5. Southern Illinois 288-278–566 (-10); 6. Oral Roberts 285-282–567 (-9); T7. UMKC 280-288–568 (--8); T7. Missouri State 278-290–568 (-8); 9. SIUE Edwardsville 284-285–569 (-7); 10. Morehead State 292-280–572 (-4); 11. South Dakota 285-292–577 (+1); 12. Drake 296-286–587 (+11). 13. South Dakota State 302-286–588 (+12); 14. Hutchinson CC 296-298–594 (+18); 15. Central Arkansas 297-300–597 (+21).
K-State Individuals: 1. Jacob Eklund 66-65–131 (-13); T18. Ben Fernandez 68-72–140 (-4); T18. Jeremy Gandon 69-71–140 (-4); T24. Roland Massimino 73-68–141 (-3); T46. JC Campbell* 73-69–142 (-2). T49. Will Hopkins 74-74–148 (+4).
Players Mentioned
