SE: K-State Men’s Golf Fueled for Fall, Equipped with Big Goals for 2019-20 Season
Sep 15, 2019 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
May 1 left many on the K-State men's golf team frustrated and fueled to make up for the disappointment of being the first team out of the NCAA Championships.
The best place to start?
The fall schedule, which started for the 2019-20 K-State squad on Sunday at the three-day Golfweek Conference Challenge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Last season, K-State nearly dug its way out of an unideal fall campaign to make the program's first NCAA Regional since 2009. The Wildcats averaged 284.24 strokes per round with four top-four finishes last spring, a significant turnaround from their fall average of 290.13 and a top finish of sixth. But still not enough.
"We've talked about it since the beginning of the year, that it's important for us to get off to a good start," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said. "The guys understand that and understand now how important every tournament is and that we've got to put our best foot forward and approach every tournament like it's important."
"It's just as important as the spring. Every tournament counts the same. This tournament or the last tournament in the spring, it all counts the same. We're trying to get off to a good start this year so we don't have to play perfect (in the spring) like we did last year," fifth-year senior Ben Fernandez added. "That'll free us up a little bit in the spring to even play a little bit better and not only make regionals but be one of the highly ranked teams nationally."
Robbins shared his veteran's confidence. The sixth-year head coach said he believes this team's capabilities go beyond making a Regional. Ultimately, the goal is to end up in Scottsdale, Arizona, home of the 24-team 2020 NCAA Championship.
"Our team is good enough to make it through (a Regional). I thought last year we had a good enough team to make it through, but we want to be at Scottsdale at the end of the year, and I think we've got the team to do it," Robbins said. "We've just got to keep getting better every day and every week and see where we are at the end of the year."
Robbins' program has been established as one that continuously develops players.
Fernandez is a great example. The Southlake, Texas native averaged 75.25 strokes per round as a freshman. Last year, he finished at 72.03, seventh in program history. Jacob Eklund, a senior this season, is another. He shot 71.74 last season after posting a 74.15 average as a sophomore. He was also one of three Wildcats selected individually to the NCAA Athens Regional. Roland Massimino, a senior on last season's team, was also on that trip after he broke Robert Streb's school record for annual stroke average by averaging 70.96. As a freshman, however, he was at 74.75.
Expect the next wave of Wildcats to join that trend this season, Fernandez said.
"Coach Robbins really knows what he's doing when he's helping guys with their swings or any other aspects of their game," Fernandez said. "I was lucky enough to be taken under his wing, so I'm excited for the other guys to get that opportunity as well."
Without Jeremy Gandon, the school-record holder for career stroke average, and Massimino on the roster, K-State will need some new names to step up.
Fernandez and Robbins said sophomore Will Hopkins and junior Kyle Vance are two returners who could fill that need. Both led the way in the team's qualifying rounds for the first tournament. Each also had success this summer, with Vance tying for second at the Pennsylvania Amateur Championship and Hopkins winning the England Midland Boys tournament in his home country.
"(Vance) really had a good summer, got some confidence there, and then (he came) out this qualifier and lit it up," Robbins said. "(Hopkins has) really taken off as well and he's playing with a lot more confidence. He's always had the game, but now he's starting to show that he knows he belongs and he's playing well."
K-State's roster also includes six newcomers and a pair of redshirt freshmen, adding even more competition to the mix.
Jared Strathe, one of those redshirt freshmen, earned a spot in the lineup in the first tournament. Riccardo Leo, who's played for the Italian National Team and ranked the 120th-best amateur in Europe according to the European Golf Rankings, will compete individually and has "really impressed" Fernandez already.
Collectively, the Wildcats look to continue the positive momentum gained last spring to make sure this fall puts them in a better place than a year ago.
"We worked really hard on changing the culture, getting all the guys really to buy in with what K-State golf's really about, and I think we're doing a great job of that. Now, it's just down to the golf course to show what we can do when we're playing and competing," Hopkins said. "I think we just want to prove what we've got and not really think too much on the negatives but more on the positives we gained in the spring.
"We've got a lot of potential to be a great team this year and go a long way."
May 1 left many on the K-State men's golf team frustrated and fueled to make up for the disappointment of being the first team out of the NCAA Championships.
The best place to start?
The fall schedule, which started for the 2019-20 K-State squad on Sunday at the three-day Golfweek Conference Challenge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Last season, K-State nearly dug its way out of an unideal fall campaign to make the program's first NCAA Regional since 2009. The Wildcats averaged 284.24 strokes per round with four top-four finishes last spring, a significant turnaround from their fall average of 290.13 and a top finish of sixth. But still not enough.
"We've talked about it since the beginning of the year, that it's important for us to get off to a good start," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said. "The guys understand that and understand now how important every tournament is and that we've got to put our best foot forward and approach every tournament like it's important."
"It's just as important as the spring. Every tournament counts the same. This tournament or the last tournament in the spring, it all counts the same. We're trying to get off to a good start this year so we don't have to play perfect (in the spring) like we did last year," fifth-year senior Ben Fernandez added. "That'll free us up a little bit in the spring to even play a little bit better and not only make regionals but be one of the highly ranked teams nationally."
Robbins shared his veteran's confidence. The sixth-year head coach said he believes this team's capabilities go beyond making a Regional. Ultimately, the goal is to end up in Scottsdale, Arizona, home of the 24-team 2020 NCAA Championship.
"Our team is good enough to make it through (a Regional). I thought last year we had a good enough team to make it through, but we want to be at Scottsdale at the end of the year, and I think we've got the team to do it," Robbins said. "We've just got to keep getting better every day and every week and see where we are at the end of the year."
Robbins' program has been established as one that continuously develops players.
Fernandez is a great example. The Southlake, Texas native averaged 75.25 strokes per round as a freshman. Last year, he finished at 72.03, seventh in program history. Jacob Eklund, a senior this season, is another. He shot 71.74 last season after posting a 74.15 average as a sophomore. He was also one of three Wildcats selected individually to the NCAA Athens Regional. Roland Massimino, a senior on last season's team, was also on that trip after he broke Robert Streb's school record for annual stroke average by averaging 70.96. As a freshman, however, he was at 74.75.
Expect the next wave of Wildcats to join that trend this season, Fernandez said.
"Coach Robbins really knows what he's doing when he's helping guys with their swings or any other aspects of their game," Fernandez said. "I was lucky enough to be taken under his wing, so I'm excited for the other guys to get that opportunity as well."
Without Jeremy Gandon, the school-record holder for career stroke average, and Massimino on the roster, K-State will need some new names to step up.
Fernandez and Robbins said sophomore Will Hopkins and junior Kyle Vance are two returners who could fill that need. Both led the way in the team's qualifying rounds for the first tournament. Each also had success this summer, with Vance tying for second at the Pennsylvania Amateur Championship and Hopkins winning the England Midland Boys tournament in his home country.
"(Vance) really had a good summer, got some confidence there, and then (he came) out this qualifier and lit it up," Robbins said. "(Hopkins has) really taken off as well and he's playing with a lot more confidence. He's always had the game, but now he's starting to show that he knows he belongs and he's playing well."
K-State's roster also includes six newcomers and a pair of redshirt freshmen, adding even more competition to the mix.
Jared Strathe, one of those redshirt freshmen, earned a spot in the lineup in the first tournament. Riccardo Leo, who's played for the Italian National Team and ranked the 120th-best amateur in Europe according to the European Golf Rankings, will compete individually and has "really impressed" Fernandez already.
Collectively, the Wildcats look to continue the positive momentum gained last spring to make sure this fall puts them in a better place than a year ago.
"We worked really hard on changing the culture, getting all the guys really to buy in with what K-State golf's really about, and I think we're doing a great job of that. Now, it's just down to the golf course to show what we can do when we're playing and competing," Hopkins said. "I think we just want to prove what we've got and not really think too much on the negatives but more on the positives we gained in the spring.
"We've got a lot of potential to be a great team this year and go a long way."
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