K-State Concludes Big 12 Match Play

HOCKLEY, Texas – The Kansas State men's golf team concluded the Big 12 Match Play Championship with two matches on Wednesday, as the Wildcats fell to Kansas in the final match of pool play and were defeated by Baylor in the championship round.

"I'm proud of our guys for how hard they played today," head coach Grant Robbins. "It wasn't the result we wanted, but we have to take the positives and learn from it and get better."

After a tough first two days at the 7,007-yard Club at Houston Oaks, K-State couldn't rally to find a victory on the final day. The morning session saw the Jayhawks claim a narrow, 2-1-3 win to finish ahead of the Wildcats in the Pool A standings. This defeat set K-State up against Baylor from Pool B for the championship round, a matchup which the Bears would win 4-2-0. The Wildcats finished the tournament winless and in 10th place.

"If you look back at the week, we had the chance to win three matches going into the last hole and weren't able to get it done,"' Robbins said. "It was a combination of the other teams hitting clutch shots and us not executing like we need to under pressure.

"It's a winning mentality that we must continue to develop. To do that, we have to learn from these pressure situations. We have a long season left," Robbins said.

Despite the disappointing team results, there were more flashes of individual brilliance throughout Wednesday.

Cooper Schultz, who had a win and a draw yesterday, picked up another victory in his matchup against KU, winning 4&2, before dropping a close one against the Bears in the championship round 1 Up.

Will Hopkins came away with a draw against KU in the morning and claimed his third win of the event in the afternoon against Baylor, winning 3&1.

Ethan Miller and Nicklaus Mason both fell 5&3 against the Jayhawks to close out pool play. Mason would go on to win a thriller against the Bears, winning his final hole to capture a 1 Up victory, while Miller was edged out in a tight 1 Up loss in the championship round.

Luke O'Neill and Tim Tillmanns each found draws against in-state rival Kansas, but both were defeated in their matchups with Baylor. Tillmanns fell to the Bears 6&5, while O'Neill lost 5&4.

The Texas Longhorns claimed the championship with a 3-2-1 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who won the event in 2019. This is the first Big 12 Match Play Championship for the Longhorns.

"This was a great tournament for us because, as coaches, we learned a lot about our team - what our strengths are and where we are weak," Robbins said. "We have to work hard and improve in all areas. We will definitely be a better team after this."

Kansas State will be off until October 30-31, when the Wildcats return to action at the Steelewood Collegiate for their final event of the fall schedule.

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Players Mentioned

Will Hopkins

Nicklaus Mason

Ethan Miller

Luke O'Neill

Cooper Schultz

Tim Tillmanns

Players Mentioned

Will Hopkins

Nicklaus Mason

Ethan Miller

Luke O'Neill

Cooper Schultz

Tim Tillmanns

Kansas State University Athletics