SE: Tillmanns Rides Steady Performances to NCAA Regional Bid
May 07, 2021 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
The only difference is the opportunity.
When Tim Tillmanns arrives in Oklahoma for the 2021 NCAA Stillwater Regional, he doesn't plan on changing much of anything on the golf course.
"Throughout the season, we've had a pretty good process of preparing for each and every tournament, so I'm just going to keep it the same," he said. "Nothing special."
That's the thing about Tillmanns, who will represent K-State Men's Golf at the NCAA Regional in Stillwater next week.
If he's in the zone, it should feel like any other tournament this season. But the opportunity, a shot to qualify for the 2021 NCAA Men's Golf Championship, is a new one.
"I called my parents and my coach back home in Germany," Tillmanns said. "We kind of knew already that I had qualified because our coach at K-State did all the calculations and looked at other teams, so I knew I was pretty safe."
When the Golf Channel made it official during their selection show on Wednesday, Tillmanns became the 14th golfer in program history to qualify for the NCAA Regionals as an individual.
Plenty of conversations await about attacking the course and a talented field that includes some of the top college golfers in the country. Tillmanns is already getting some intel from a friend at Oklahoma State, one of a handful of German golfers in the Big 12.
"I already texted him for a rundown on the course and what I need to practice," Tillmanns said.
The top five teams in Stillwater will advance automatically, but for Tillmanns to punch his ticket, he will need to card the lowest score among individual competitors who aren't part of an advancing team.
No easy task, but Tillmanns has spent 2021 redefining what he's capable of at the NCAA level.
When he began his sophomore season at K-State, Tillmanns had played just one tournament after COVID-19 wiped out his first year in Manhattan. Even so, he just kept grinding away.
"I put a lot of work in as a freshman on my short game," Tillmanns said. "My long game has always been very good, but I lost so many short shots my freshman year. Working very hard around the green, I made sure this wouldn't happen again and I think that's helped me."
A top-15 finish at a Big 12 Fall Series event was a promising start to the season, before Tillmanns really took off in March with a pair of top-10 finishes in Georgia.
It didn't come as much of a surprise to his head coach.
"Tim is very, very talented, but after his first year, I noticed his work ethic was just at another level. He's the kind of kid who's always asking questions," Robbins said earlier this season. "It was just a matter of time before he started seeing some success."
Tillmanns rebounded from a few challenging midseason tournaments with a second-place finish in Nebraska, as the Wildcats grabbed their first team title since 2019 at the Husker Invitational.
"Knowing that I'm able to do this at such a young age gives me a lot of confident moving forward," Tillmanns said. "I can only get better if I put in the work, so it's going to be exciting to see what the future holds."
That future begins in Stillwater later this month.
K-State was one of the last teams left out of the tournament in 2021, something that certainly came as a disappointment to Tillmanns. But his opportunity, as an individual, is still there.
Just don't expect anything different from a player whose commitment isn't going to change.
"It's just about keeping everything sharp," Tillmanns said. "Keep my preparation the way it is and keep working hard."
The only difference is the opportunity.
When Tim Tillmanns arrives in Oklahoma for the 2021 NCAA Stillwater Regional, he doesn't plan on changing much of anything on the golf course.
"Throughout the season, we've had a pretty good process of preparing for each and every tournament, so I'm just going to keep it the same," he said. "Nothing special."
That's the thing about Tillmanns, who will represent K-State Men's Golf at the NCAA Regional in Stillwater next week.
If he's in the zone, it should feel like any other tournament this season. But the opportunity, a shot to qualify for the 2021 NCAA Men's Golf Championship, is a new one.
Tim Tillmanns is headed to Karsten Creek for the 2021 #NCAAGolf Stillwater Regional! He is the 14th golfer in program history to advance to the postseason as an individual#KStateMGolf x @NCAAGolf_ pic.twitter.com/sbBe4lsCdt
— K-State Men's Golf (@KStateMGolf) May 5, 2021
"I called my parents and my coach back home in Germany," Tillmanns said. "We kind of knew already that I had qualified because our coach at K-State did all the calculations and looked at other teams, so I knew I was pretty safe."
When the Golf Channel made it official during their selection show on Wednesday, Tillmanns became the 14th golfer in program history to qualify for the NCAA Regionals as an individual.
It's also the third-straight year K-State Men's Golf will be represented in the tournament. For Tillmanns, that was worth a phone call back home to Cologne.
Now, the sophomore will turn his attention to preparing for the course at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, where head coach Grant Robbins and assistant Rob Murray will join him.Plenty of conversations await about attacking the course and a talented field that includes some of the top college golfers in the country. Tillmanns is already getting some intel from a friend at Oklahoma State, one of a handful of German golfers in the Big 12.
"I already texted him for a rundown on the course and what I need to practice," Tillmanns said.
The top five teams in Stillwater will advance automatically, but for Tillmanns to punch his ticket, he will need to card the lowest score among individual competitors who aren't part of an advancing team.
No easy task, but Tillmanns has spent 2021 redefining what he's capable of at the NCAA level.
When he began his sophomore season at K-State, Tillmanns had played just one tournament after COVID-19 wiped out his first year in Manhattan. Even so, he just kept grinding away.
"I put a lot of work in as a freshman on my short game," Tillmanns said. "My long game has always been very good, but I lost so many short shots my freshman year. Working very hard around the green, I made sure this wouldn't happen again and I think that's helped me."
A top-15 finish at a Big 12 Fall Series event was a promising start to the season, before Tillmanns really took off in March with a pair of top-10 finishes in Georgia.
It didn't come as much of a surprise to his head coach.
"Tim is very, very talented, but after his first year, I noticed his work ethic was just at another level. He's the kind of kid who's always asking questions," Robbins said earlier this season. "It was just a matter of time before he started seeing some success."
Tillmanns rebounded from a few challenging midseason tournaments with a second-place finish in Nebraska, as the Wildcats grabbed their first team title since 2019 at the Husker Invitational.
"Knowing that I'm able to do this at such a young age gives me a lot of confident moving forward," Tillmanns said. "I can only get better if I put in the work, so it's going to be exciting to see what the future holds."
That future begins in Stillwater later this month.
K-State was one of the last teams left out of the tournament in 2021, something that certainly came as a disappointment to Tillmanns. But his opportunity, as an individual, is still there.
Just don't expect anything different from a player whose commitment isn't going to change.
"It's just about keeping everything sharp," Tillmanns said. "Keep my preparation the way it is and keep working hard."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
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