Kansas State University
Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate
Kansas State Finishes 11th at Rich Harvest Farms
Oct 04, 2021 | Men's Golf
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. – The Kansas State men's golf team couldn't put together a strong enough push in the final round on Monday at Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate, as the Wildcats finished in 11th place.
K-State, with Tim Tillmanns, Will Hopkins, Luke O'Neill, Cooper Schultz and Nicklaus Mason in the scoring lineup, recorded an even-par 288 in the third round to bring its final total to 2-over par 886.
"It was a disappointing finish," head coach Grant Robbins said. "With the way the course was set up and the conditions the way they were, you had to go low, and we weren't able to get anything going."
It was an inconsistent outing in a difficult field and on a difficult course, as the Cats couldn't quite get the breaks they needed to make any noise on the leaderboard.
"We made quite a few birdies, but overall, we just hit too many poor shots and made some big numbers that really cost us," Robbins said.
Leading the Wildcats was Tillmanns, who finished in a tie for sixth place at 5-under par 211 to capture the fifth top-10 finish of his career.
The third round wasn't exactly perfect for Tillmanns, who entered Monday in a tie for third, but the junior's even-par 72 final round was just enough to claim a top-10 spot on an 80-man leaderboard.
Hopkins, a senior, slipped seven spots on the leaderboard in the final 18, but he still carded a productive, even-par 72 third round to finish in a tie for 31st place at 1-over par 217.
Schultz and Ethan Miller, the latter who was competing as an individual, both shined on day three for K-State as they tied for 49th place at 4-over par 220.
Schultz, a freshman playing in his third tournament, had the best third round of any Wildcat with a 2-under par 70 to rise 13 spots from his position on Monday. He improved each round with scores of 76-74-70.
Miller, a sophomore who broke onto the scene at the Wildcat Invitational with a tie for ninth place, carded a 1-under par 71 final 18.
Mason, a freshman, scored his third-straight round of 2-over par 74 to finish at 6-over par 222 and in a tie for 55th place.
O'Neill, the team leader in stroke average heading into this weekend, didn't have the day-three performance he had hoped, carding a 5-over par 77 and falling 23 spots into a tie for 58th place at 7-over par 223.
The Purdue Boilermakers were the victors at the par 72, 7,281-yard Rich Harvest Farms, with a final tally of 21-under par 243 to come from two spots down and outlast Missouri by one-stroke. Herman Wibe Sekne led Purdue to the win by capturing the individual crown at 11-under par 205.
Kansas State will be back in action at the Big 12 Match Play Championship in Hockley, Texas next week, October 11-13. K-State had to withdraw from this tournament last fall due to COVID-19 protocols, but the Wildcats have had success in the event's three-year history, finishing sixth in 2018 and third in 2019.
"It's a long season and there are going to be ups and downs," Robbins said. "We just have to learn from it and get ready for the Big 12 Match Play next week."
Players Mentioned
