K-State Travels to Alabama to Open Spring Season

MANHATTAN, Kan. – After being forced to withdraw from the Sharkey Individual Individual last weekend due to travel complications, the Kansas State men's golf team is now set to begin the spring season Monday and Tuesday at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.

Tim Tillmanns, Will Hopkins, Luke O'Neill, Laurenz Schiergen and Nicklaus Mason make up the five-man lineup that will represent K-State at the par-72, 7,212 yard Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama.

"We are really looking forward to getting the spring season started," head coach Grant Robbins said. "Unfortunately we weren't able to play the individual tournament last weekend, but we have had some good weather here this week, so we've been able to get some good work in."

This is the Wildcats' fifth appearance in the now 15-year history of the annual Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. Last spring in Mobile, K-State finished seventh as a team and Hopkins carded a 5-under par 211 to finish in ninth place.

"It's a great golf course and a very solid field. It's a course where if you drive it well you should have lots of birdie opportunities," Robbins said. "With the weather forecast, I anticipate the scoring will be pretty low."

The two veterans, Tillmans and Hopkins, lead off in the top two spots of the scoring lineup for K-State and are coming off a fall season in which they combined for five top-20 finishes and were the team leaders in stroke average.

O'Neill, a sophomore, along with Mason and Schiergen, both freshmen, represent the promising young talent that will compete in Mobile for the Wildcats.

Schriegen, who joined the Wildcats at semester, will make his collegiate debut on Monday. He comes to K-State with a wealth of international experience as a member of the German National Team and is poised to make an instant impact.

Also competing as an individual for the Cats is Cooper Schultz, a redshirt freshman out of Andover, Kansas, who garnered four appearances in the scoring lineup last fall.

The 14 team field at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate includes Davidson, Florida State, Illinois, Kansas State, Kent State, Louisiana, Memphis, Miami (Ohio), South Alabama, Southern Miss, Texas State, Toledo, UAB and Western Kentucky.

This competition will be a great measuring stick for a Kansas State team that is looking to build off the momentum of an encouraging fall season.

"We just have to go out with a confident and aggressive mindset and have some fun," Robbins said.

Play will begin at 8 a.m. both days, with a shotgun start on Monday for the first two rounds, followed by a double-tees start for the final round on Tuesday. Fans can follow along on Golfstat.com for live scoring through the tournament.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Will Hopkins

Nicklaus Mason

Luke O'Neill

Laurenz Schiergen

Cooper Schultz

Tim Tillmanns

Kansas State University Athletics