Wildcats Fall to Oklahoma on First Day of Big 12 Match Play
Oct 11, 2021 | Men's Golf
HOCKLEY, Texas – Despite impressive play from Tim Tillmanns and Will Hopkins, the Kansas State men's golf team couldn't pull off the upset against Oklahoma in its first match of the Big 12 Match Play Championship on Monday at the 7,007-yard Club at Houston Oaks.
The Sooners, who were national runner-ups last spring, lived up to their No. 1 seed this week to claim a 4-1-1 victory over the Wildcats.
"Hats off to Oklahoma," head coach Grant Robbins said. "They played really well today. They got up on most of their matches early and made it hard for us to make any kind of comeback."
K-State opened the Big 12 Match Play Championship with a bye in the morning session before opening pool play against OU Monday afternoon.
Tillmanns, a junior, provided the only victory for the Cats on Monday, winning four holes in a six-hole stretch and holding off a late rally to earn a 2&1 win over the Sooners' Drew Goodman.
Hopkins was another Wildcat who had a nice afternoon, as the senior was able to come away with a draw in a back-and-forth match against Ben Lorenz.
Freshman Nicklaus Mason, who lost 3&2, kept it extremely close on the front nine, but ultimately tied too many holes to pull off the win. Ethan Miller and Cooper Schultz both fell 4&3 in their matchups, while Luke O'Neill was defeated, 5&4.
Through two sessions, Oklahoma and Texas Tech sit atop the Pool A leaderboard with nine match points apiece. Pool B is led by Oklahoma State with 12 points, followed by Texas with nine.
A difficult test in their first session could pay dividends for the Wildcats as they gear up for two matches on Tuesday.
"Oklahoma is the No. 1 team in the country, so there's a lot we can take from this and get ready for a couple of tough matches tomorrow," Robbins said.
Next up for the Wildcats is West Virginia in the Tuesday morning session and Texas Tech in the afternoon, before pool play finishes with a matchup against Kansas on Wednesday morning. The championship round will follow on Wednesday afternoon. Fans can follow all the action on Golfstat.com.
The Sooners, who were national runner-ups last spring, lived up to their No. 1 seed this week to claim a 4-1-1 victory over the Wildcats.
"Hats off to Oklahoma," head coach Grant Robbins said. "They played really well today. They got up on most of their matches early and made it hard for us to make any kind of comeback."
K-State opened the Big 12 Match Play Championship with a bye in the morning session before opening pool play against OU Monday afternoon.
Tillmanns, a junior, provided the only victory for the Cats on Monday, winning four holes in a six-hole stretch and holding off a late rally to earn a 2&1 win over the Sooners' Drew Goodman.
Hopkins was another Wildcat who had a nice afternoon, as the senior was able to come away with a draw in a back-and-forth match against Ben Lorenz.
Freshman Nicklaus Mason, who lost 3&2, kept it extremely close on the front nine, but ultimately tied too many holes to pull off the win. Ethan Miller and Cooper Schultz both fell 4&3 in their matchups, while Luke O'Neill was defeated, 5&4.
Through two sessions, Oklahoma and Texas Tech sit atop the Pool A leaderboard with nine match points apiece. Pool B is led by Oklahoma State with 12 points, followed by Texas with nine.
A difficult test in their first session could pay dividends for the Wildcats as they gear up for two matches on Tuesday.
"Oklahoma is the No. 1 team in the country, so there's a lot we can take from this and get ready for a couple of tough matches tomorrow," Robbins said.
Next up for the Wildcats is West Virginia in the Tuesday morning session and Texas Tech in the afternoon, before pool play finishes with a matchup against Kansas on Wednesday morning. The championship round will follow on Wednesday afternoon. Fans can follow all the action on Golfstat.com.
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