Kansas State University
Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate
K-State Looks to Stay Hot at Rich Harvest Farms
Oct 01, 2021 | Men's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. – There is little time for the K-State Men's Golf team to reflect on its impressive performance earlier this week at the Old Town Club, as a new challenge awaits the Wildcats this Saturday through Monday in Sugar Grove, Illinois, at the Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate.
K-State heads to the prestigious, par-72, 7,281-yard Rich Harvest Farms with a ton of confidence after two promising tournaments to begin their 2021-22 season.
"Rich Harvest Farms is a fantastic golf course," head coach Grant Robbins said. "It's a course that will test every part of your game, so we are going to have to be patient, be disciplined with our decision making, and just hit quality shots in order to be successful."
K-State finished sixth in a talented 15-team field earlier this week at the Old Town Collegiate, carding a team score of 15-under par 825 and placing three Wildcats - Cooper Schultz, Tim Tillmanns and Will Hopkins - in the top-20.
This performance was a great sequel to the season opener when the Cats finished second in the Wildcat Invitational at Colbert Hills two weeks ago, the 11th top-five finish in the last four seasons for the Cats.
This weekend, the lineup will consist of Tim Tillmanns, Will Hopkins, Luke O'Neill, Cooper Schultz and Nicklaus Mason, representing the third different scoring combination that Robbins has gone to this season.
Tillmanns has been in the No. 1 spot for Kansas State all season, and he's delivered two top-20 finishes, including a tie for ninth place at the Wildcat Invitational. Earlier this week, Tillmanns carded a 3-under par 207 to tie for 19th.
Hopkins, the only senior on the Wildcats' roster, also tied for 19th place at the Old Town Club. Hopkins, who recorded a pair of top-five finishes last season while leading the Cats in stroke average, will look to get back to being a dominant player for K-State this weekend.
The biggest positive to come from the Old Town Club was the performance from Schultz. The redshirt freshman claimed his first career top-10 finish at the Old Town Club after carding a 7-under par 203. His score was buoyed by a score of 65 in the second round, the lowest individual round of his career and of any Wildcat this season. Schultz carded an incredible total of 16 birdies throughout the 54 holes, tied for the most of anyone competing at the Old Town Collegiate.
O'Neill, a sophomore, has been the most consistent player for K-State through two tournaments, as he leads the team in stroke average at 70.33. O'Neill burst onto the scene when he tied for fourth place at the Wildcat Invitational with a 2-under par 214 final tally. The Connemara, Ireland product followed up his first career top-five finish with another solid performance at the Old Town Collegiate, tying for 26th at 2-under par 207.
Rounding out the scoring lineup for K-State is Mason, a freshman who has proven enough early in his Wildcat career to earn a spot in the scoring lineup for the second time this season. The Shawnee, Kansas, native tied for 12th place in his first collegiate appearance at the Wildcat Invitational, carding a 6-over par 222.
Another Wildcat, Ethan Miller, will also be competing at Rich Harvest Farms as an individual. The Round Rock, Texas, product has had a promising start to his sophomore campaign. At the season opener on Colbert Hills, he tied for ninth and recorded his career best individual round (67), 54-hole score (216) and his first career top-10 finish.
K-State will be joined at Rich Harvest Farms by Arkansas State, James Madison, Marquette, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Wisconsin and host school Northern Illinois.
"It's another strong field, and I know our guys are excited and looking forward to the challenge this weekend," Robbins said.
Kansas State will tee off round one on holes 1 and 10 at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with the second round following the same time and format on Sunday. The Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate will conclude Monday morning with a shotgun start to the final round beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Players Mentioned
