SE: He’s Back – Eklund Returns for Another Shot at NCAA Regional
Jun 05, 2020 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Just one day before he turned in his best round of the Colleton River Collegiate, Jacob Eklund hit a ball into the water.
On the home stretch of a tough South Carolina course, it was the kind of mistake that Eklund said would have "killed my round" in the past. Not this time.
"I just shook it off like it was nothing and kept making birdies. I was able to shoot a 68 on the final day and lost by one stroke," he said. "It's just about not letting things affect me as much."
Eklund's second-place finish in South Carolina helped K-State close out the tournament in fifth place as a team, behind three programs ranked in Golfstat's Top-60.
It wasn't supposed to be one of his final rounds as a Wildcat in 2020. But it was just enough time for Eklund to showcase his ability to respond to things that aren't supposed to happen.
After COVID-19 wiped out most of K-State's spring tournaments, Eklund announced last month that he will return to Manhattan for another shot at his senior season.
"The biggest factor is just that feeling of unfinished business," he said.
"We want to put the whole team in an NCAA Regional," he said. "That's going to be our goal from day one. Every guy on the team is going to buy in to that from the way they practice, the way they prepare and what we do on the weekends. Every single day, they've got to wake up and know that what they're doing is going to be a factor in where we are in the Spring."
After his final-day charge in South Carolina, Eklund was poised to build on a junior season in which he emerged as the leader of a K-State program looking to return to the NCAA's – something the Wildcats haven't done as a team since 2009.
When K-State began the spring season in 2019, the Wildcats were ranked among the nation's top-30 programs and a return to an NCAA Regional appeared in sight.
"That spring semester was really our first taste of success," Eklund said. "We realized what hard work could do and how fun it was to play well in tournaments and win tournaments."
Eklund teamed up with Jeremy Gandon and Roland Massimino to carry K-State to the brink of the postseason. But when the participants for the NCAA team tournament were announced, the Wildcats were among the first teams left out among the 30-team field of at-large qualifiers.
More specifically, they finished as the 31st-ranked team in the country (Golfweek/Sagarin). Eklund, Gandon and Massimino had to settle for spots in the NCAA's as individuals.
"Last semester, I felt like we had the right guys, but nothing really clicked," Eklund said. "It seemed like we were trying, and things just weren't going our way."
In what would be his last tournament of the season, Eklund pulled off more final day heroics for the Wildcats in the General Hackler Championship. He fired a 71 in Myrtle Beach to climb up 22 spots in the tournament standings against a field stacked with 10 Golfstat Top-60 programs.
But when the season came to an unexpected close in early March, the Wildcats were ranked outside the top 100 and Eklund wasn't sure what the future held.
As the NCAA and K-State decided how to move forward with student-athletes who had their careers cut short, Eklund thought about what was best for him and for the Wildcats. Meeting with head coach Grant Robbins, Eklund said his family was also a big part of his decision process.
"They've never told me to do one thing, it's always what's best for me. They were going to support me either way, whether I was going to turn pro and start off my career or come back," he said. "Nothing was going to be a barrier. Having them support me made it that much easier."
Once Eklund knew he would have chance to return to Manhattan for another senior season, he said a big part of his decision was the opportunity to play with talented newcomers Cooper Schultz and Irish National Team member Luke O'Neill, the eighth-ranked player under the age of 18 in Europe and one of the top recruits in program history.
"I'm really excited about our freshman class," he said. "From talking to coach, it sounds like these guys are going to be ready to go as soon as they get in here."
The other player Eklund mentioned in looking ahead to next season is junior Will Hopkins, another former top European youth golfer who showed flashes of brilliance in an abbreviated sophomore campaign, including a pair of top-40 finishes in South Carolina.
"He's right on the edge of breaking through," Eklund said. "He started to show a little bit in the late spring right before all this happened, but the kid has so much potential. If he can put things together, we could be a really dangerous team. "
Eklund said that he's spending the remote semester on the golf course in Texas with friends, preparing for a senior season that, while unexpected, could be historic for the Wildcats.
Whether it's a ball in the water or a season lost to COVID-19, not much is going to rattle Eklund at this point in his K-State career.
"It's not about lowering my expectations. It's about not letting things bother me as much," he said. "When we get all the guys back here, hopefully we can make it happen in the spring."
Just one day before he turned in his best round of the Colleton River Collegiate, Jacob Eklund hit a ball into the water.
On the home stretch of a tough South Carolina course, it was the kind of mistake that Eklund said would have "killed my round" in the past. Not this time.
"I just shook it off like it was nothing and kept making birdies. I was able to shoot a 68 on the final day and lost by one stroke," he said. "It's just about not letting things affect me as much."
Eklund's second-place finish in South Carolina helped K-State close out the tournament in fifth place as a team, behind three programs ranked in Golfstat's Top-60.
It wasn't supposed to be one of his final rounds as a Wildcat in 2020. But it was just enough time for Eklund to showcase his ability to respond to things that aren't supposed to happen.
After COVID-19 wiped out most of K-State's spring tournaments, Eklund announced last month that he will return to Manhattan for another shot at his senior season.
"The biggest factor is just that feeling of unfinished business," he said.
tw-align-centerFor somebody who's golfed in an NCAA Regional and carded the second-best stroke average in school history in 2019, "unfinished business" might seem like an empty platitude. For Eklund, it couldn't be clearer.The climb ... to be continued. #KStateMGolf pic.twitter.com/x7ntD6Bbdf
— K-State Men's Golf (@KStateMGolf) April 20, 2020
"We want to put the whole team in an NCAA Regional," he said. "That's going to be our goal from day one. Every guy on the team is going to buy in to that from the way they practice, the way they prepare and what we do on the weekends. Every single day, they've got to wake up and know that what they're doing is going to be a factor in where we are in the Spring."
After his final-day charge in South Carolina, Eklund was poised to build on a junior season in which he emerged as the leader of a K-State program looking to return to the NCAA's – something the Wildcats haven't done as a team since 2009.
When K-State began the spring season in 2019, the Wildcats were ranked among the nation's top-30 programs and a return to an NCAA Regional appeared in sight.
"That spring semester was really our first taste of success," Eklund said. "We realized what hard work could do and how fun it was to play well in tournaments and win tournaments."
Eklund teamed up with Jeremy Gandon and Roland Massimino to carry K-State to the brink of the postseason. But when the participants for the NCAA team tournament were announced, the Wildcats were among the first teams left out among the 30-team field of at-large qualifiers.
More specifically, they finished as the 31st-ranked team in the country (Golfweek/Sagarin). Eklund, Gandon and Massimino had to settle for spots in the NCAA's as individuals.
tw-align-centerAfter the disappointing finish, Eklund's senior season was about continuing his promising individual career while helping the Wildcats rebuild after Gandon and Massimino went pro."I know we got a team that's going to work hard, and establish a culture that's here to win." 😼🏌️#kstatemgolf pic.twitter.com/6JYj5FJaJH
— K-State Men's Golf (@KStateMGolf) May 16, 2019
"Last semester, I felt like we had the right guys, but nothing really clicked," Eklund said. "It seemed like we were trying, and things just weren't going our way."
In what would be his last tournament of the season, Eklund pulled off more final day heroics for the Wildcats in the General Hackler Championship. He fired a 71 in Myrtle Beach to climb up 22 spots in the tournament standings against a field stacked with 10 Golfstat Top-60 programs.
But when the season came to an unexpected close in early March, the Wildcats were ranked outside the top 100 and Eklund wasn't sure what the future held.
As the NCAA and K-State decided how to move forward with student-athletes who had their careers cut short, Eklund thought about what was best for him and for the Wildcats. Meeting with head coach Grant Robbins, Eklund said his family was also a big part of his decision process.
"They've never told me to do one thing, it's always what's best for me. They were going to support me either way, whether I was going to turn pro and start off my career or come back," he said. "Nothing was going to be a barrier. Having them support me made it that much easier."
Once Eklund knew he would have chance to return to Manhattan for another senior season, he said a big part of his decision was the opportunity to play with talented newcomers Cooper Schultz and Irish National Team member Luke O'Neill, the eighth-ranked player under the age of 18 in Europe and one of the top recruits in program history.
"I'm really excited about our freshman class," he said. "From talking to coach, it sounds like these guys are going to be ready to go as soon as they get in here."
The other player Eklund mentioned in looking ahead to next season is junior Will Hopkins, another former top European youth golfer who showed flashes of brilliance in an abbreviated sophomore campaign, including a pair of top-40 finishes in South Carolina.
"He's right on the edge of breaking through," Eklund said. "He started to show a little bit in the late spring right before all this happened, but the kid has so much potential. If he can put things together, we could be a really dangerous team. "
Eklund said that he's spending the remote semester on the golf course in Texas with friends, preparing for a senior season that, while unexpected, could be historic for the Wildcats.
Whether it's a ball in the water or a season lost to COVID-19, not much is going to rattle Eklund at this point in his K-State career.
"It's not about lowering my expectations. It's about not letting things bother me as much," he said. "When we get all the guys back here, hopefully we can make it happen in the spring."
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