Tillmanns Eyes a Team Postseason Berth This Time Around
Mar 07, 2022 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
One of the top 50 public golf courses in the nation by Golf World, the Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama, has hosted PGA events. On February 15, it also hosted Kansas State junior Tim Tillmanns, as he fought back from 15th place to finish seventh while leading the Wildcats to a fourth-place finish overall at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.
Armed with a strong strike and impeccable short game, Tillmanns overcame a darkness delay over the final four holes of the second round to play 22 total holes on the final day without fatigue. He became fiercer as the third round wore on to capture his sixth career top-10 finish and second of the season.
Tillmanns went 70-73-69 to finish 4-under par 212 for K-State, which carded a 5-under par 859 — one stroke back of No. 20 Illinois. It marked the 13th top-five finish for the Wildcats in the last four seasons and the third of the 2021-22 campaign.
"Probably what I was most proud of was just how Tim kept his poise and stayed in the present, especially in the final round," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said. "We had to make up the end of the second round that last day. He tripled his first hole and then went 4 or 5 under from then on. He didn't let mistakes bother him and moved onto the next step. You can see that he's matured a lot in that regard."
Tillmanns recorded 13 birdies over the three-day tournament.
"It was just in general a very good week," Tillmanns said. "I was in a very good mental place, and that's what allowed me to play the way that I did."
Now K-State prepares for this week's Colleton River Intercollegiate, which begins Monday, at the Colleton River Nicklaus Course in Bluffton, South Carolina. Tillmanns has a team-leading 70.80 stroke average and will join senior Will Hopkins, freshman Nicklaus Mason, sophomore Luke O'Neill and freshman Laurenz Schiergen on the par-72, 7,042-yard layout.
"The whole team is playing really well right now, and it's exciting to see it come together," Tillmanns said. "We've seen a lot of good play from individuals throughout the fall, and now everyone is playing good golf. It's just a matter of time before we click together and hopefully have a good season."
Tillmanns looks to go even farther than a year ago.
A native of Cologne, Germany, Tillmanns participated in nine events last season, including an individual bid to the NCAA Stillwater Regional, becoming the 14th Wildcat all-time to earn an individual bid to the postseason. He tallied a 72.75 stroke average, the second best on the team, and had three top-1o finishes, including two in the top five at the Git-R-Done Husker Invitational (second) and Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate (third). He finished the season with a team-leading 14 rounds of even or under par, 11 of which went under.
As a freshman, he saw action in one event, the Royal Oaks Collegiate, shooting 9-over par 222 and finishing in a tie for 54th.
"The biggest thing I've improved is my short game," Tillmanns said. "It's gotten a lot better. Also, just my experience. I had a good spring semester last year but there were still a few mistakes I made, which cost me good tournament results. I was able to use my short game to carry on my good play in the spring and fall, and if I ever got into trouble, I had been there, and I knew what to do."
Tillmanns' success comes as little surprise to Robbins.
"He's just matured in every part of his game," Robbins said. "He really works hard and has improved in every aspect. With that just comes more confidence. He's become very consistent."
And Tillmanns is hardly content.
"My goal is to make to the nationals," he said. "I want to make it with the team, obviously. I went to regionals last year, and obviously because we didn't have as many tournaments (due to COVID), I felt like it was a little easier because we got to play good teams and it was decent play. You could go farther. Now everyone is playing compared to last fall, but definitely individually and as a team the goal is nationals."
One of the potential keys to Tillmanns' success this season goes back to this past winter. Over Thanksgiving and the final two weeks of winter break, Tillmanns and Laurenz Schiergen, also a native of Cologne, joined the German National Team to train in Orlando. The 12-day regimen served as springboard for this spring.
"I felt like I prepared very well," Tillmanns said. "I'm feeling great right now."
Tillmanns represented Germany at the 2018 European Boys Team Championship. K-State assistant coach Rob Murray left impressed after watching Tillmanns, a member of the German Junior National Team, finish seventh at the German International Boys Championship in June 2018. Robbins saw Tillmanns compete at the British Boys Championship. They contacted Tillmanns via e-mail and then visited with him on Zoom.
"Rob saw a ton of potential," Robbins said. "He'd had a pretty good resume on the German Junior National Team, but he hadn't quite achieved some of the other things that some of the other players might have achieved, but we saw someone who was really strong, hit the ball a long way, and had a ton of athleticism. He had huge upside."
Tillmanns, who on pace to graduate in 2023 with a degree in marketing, grew up with a golf club in his hand. His father, Guido, is a golf professional. Dinner conversation typical revolved around golf. Tillmanns committed to K-State and took his official visit to K-State in fall 2018.
"Everything happened pretty quickly with the recruiting process," he said. "Without golf, I definitely wouldn't be in the United States, that's for sure. I'm super grateful for what golf has done for me, and the people I've gotten to meet, and all the places I've been able to go."
If all goes well, it could land Tillmanns in the NCAA Championships this season.
"He's got unlimited potential," Robbins said. "What sets him apart is his full approach to it. He's very meticulous and very driven and works really, really hard. He has a good, level head on him. He's very emotional on the golf course. The sky's the limit for him."
One of the top 50 public golf courses in the nation by Golf World, the Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama, has hosted PGA events. On February 15, it also hosted Kansas State junior Tim Tillmanns, as he fought back from 15th place to finish seventh while leading the Wildcats to a fourth-place finish overall at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.
Armed with a strong strike and impeccable short game, Tillmanns overcame a darkness delay over the final four holes of the second round to play 22 total holes on the final day without fatigue. He became fiercer as the third round wore on to capture his sixth career top-10 finish and second of the season.
Tillmanns went 70-73-69 to finish 4-under par 212 for K-State, which carded a 5-under par 859 — one stroke back of No. 20 Illinois. It marked the 13th top-five finish for the Wildcats in the last four seasons and the third of the 2021-22 campaign.
"Probably what I was most proud of was just how Tim kept his poise and stayed in the present, especially in the final round," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said. "We had to make up the end of the second round that last day. He tripled his first hole and then went 4 or 5 under from then on. He didn't let mistakes bother him and moved onto the next step. You can see that he's matured a lot in that regard."
Tillmanns recorded 13 birdies over the three-day tournament.
"It was just in general a very good week," Tillmanns said. "I was in a very good mental place, and that's what allowed me to play the way that I did."
Now K-State prepares for this week's Colleton River Intercollegiate, which begins Monday, at the Colleton River Nicklaus Course in Bluffton, South Carolina. Tillmanns has a team-leading 70.80 stroke average and will join senior Will Hopkins, freshman Nicklaus Mason, sophomore Luke O'Neill and freshman Laurenz Schiergen on the par-72, 7,042-yard layout.
"The whole team is playing really well right now, and it's exciting to see it come together," Tillmanns said. "We've seen a lot of good play from individuals throughout the fall, and now everyone is playing good golf. It's just a matter of time before we click together and hopefully have a good season."
Tillmanns looks to go even farther than a year ago.
A native of Cologne, Germany, Tillmanns participated in nine events last season, including an individual bid to the NCAA Stillwater Regional, becoming the 14th Wildcat all-time to earn an individual bid to the postseason. He tallied a 72.75 stroke average, the second best on the team, and had three top-1o finishes, including two in the top five at the Git-R-Done Husker Invitational (second) and Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate (third). He finished the season with a team-leading 14 rounds of even or under par, 11 of which went under.
As a freshman, he saw action in one event, the Royal Oaks Collegiate, shooting 9-over par 222 and finishing in a tie for 54th.
"The biggest thing I've improved is my short game," Tillmanns said. "It's gotten a lot better. Also, just my experience. I had a good spring semester last year but there were still a few mistakes I made, which cost me good tournament results. I was able to use my short game to carry on my good play in the spring and fall, and if I ever got into trouble, I had been there, and I knew what to do."
Tillmanns' success comes as little surprise to Robbins.
"He's just matured in every part of his game," Robbins said. "He really works hard and has improved in every aspect. With that just comes more confidence. He's become very consistent."
And Tillmanns is hardly content.
"My goal is to make to the nationals," he said. "I want to make it with the team, obviously. I went to regionals last year, and obviously because we didn't have as many tournaments (due to COVID), I felt like it was a little easier because we got to play good teams and it was decent play. You could go farther. Now everyone is playing compared to last fall, but definitely individually and as a team the goal is nationals."
One of the potential keys to Tillmanns' success this season goes back to this past winter. Over Thanksgiving and the final two weeks of winter break, Tillmanns and Laurenz Schiergen, also a native of Cologne, joined the German National Team to train in Orlando. The 12-day regimen served as springboard for this spring.
"I felt like I prepared very well," Tillmanns said. "I'm feeling great right now."
Tillmanns represented Germany at the 2018 European Boys Team Championship. K-State assistant coach Rob Murray left impressed after watching Tillmanns, a member of the German Junior National Team, finish seventh at the German International Boys Championship in June 2018. Robbins saw Tillmanns compete at the British Boys Championship. They contacted Tillmanns via e-mail and then visited with him on Zoom.
"Rob saw a ton of potential," Robbins said. "He'd had a pretty good resume on the German Junior National Team, but he hadn't quite achieved some of the other things that some of the other players might have achieved, but we saw someone who was really strong, hit the ball a long way, and had a ton of athleticism. He had huge upside."
Tillmanns, who on pace to graduate in 2023 with a degree in marketing, grew up with a golf club in his hand. His father, Guido, is a golf professional. Dinner conversation typical revolved around golf. Tillmanns committed to K-State and took his official visit to K-State in fall 2018.
"Everything happened pretty quickly with the recruiting process," he said. "Without golf, I definitely wouldn't be in the United States, that's for sure. I'm super grateful for what golf has done for me, and the people I've gotten to meet, and all the places I've been able to go."
If all goes well, it could land Tillmanns in the NCAA Championships this season.
"He's got unlimited potential," Robbins said. "What sets him apart is his full approach to it. He's very meticulous and very driven and works really, really hard. He has a good, level head on him. He's very emotional on the golf course. The sky's the limit for him."
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