No. 21 K-State Set for Spring Opener at Hal Williams Collegiate
Feb 12, 2023 | Men's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. - After a historic fall season, the 21st-ranked Kansas State men's golf team returns to action and will start its spring campaign at the Hal Williams Collegiate, held Monday and Tuesday at the par-71, 7,168-yard Magnolia Grove Golf Club in Mobile, Alabama.
"We are excited to get back out competing again," said head coach Grant Robbins. "We have prepared pretty well the last couple of weeks. Now it's just a matter of getting out and trusting the work we've put in."
The Wildcats enter the spring schedule - which includes six regular season events - with ample momentum following the best fall slate in school history. K-State won three straight team championships as it claimed the titles at the Wildcat Invitational, Old Town Collegiate, and Oregon State Invitational. In their three victories, no Wildcat in the scoring lineup finished outside the top 20 on the leaderboard.
It was the first time in history that a Wildcat team won three-consecutive titles. The three wins are the most ever in a fall schedule and already rank as the third-most wins in a single season.
The Cats also competed well at the Big 12 Match Play Championship with a victory over No. 21 Texas, and a draw with No. 1 Texas Tech.
In the three stroke-play events, the Wildcats racked up 40 wins and tallied a 279.33 stroke average, which is on pace to shatter the current school record of 285.86 set in 2018-19.
The Cats' five-man scoring lineup this week is comprised of Tim Tillmanns, Will Hopkins, Luke O'Neill, Laurenz Schiergen, and Cooper Schultz. It's Robbins' first use of this lineup combination this season.
Four members of this week's scoring lineup have under-par stroke averages this season and they have combined for 13 top-20 finishes.
K-State is led by two veteran leaders in seniors Hopkins and Tillmans, who have 18 career top-10 finishes between them. They bring with them 176 rounds of experience that will be crucial throughout a difficult spring slate.
Making his 23rd appearance is O'Neill, a junior who played a big role at the Big 12 Match Play Championship by picking up individual wins in the Wildcats' draw with No. 1 Texas Tech and defeat of No. 21 Texas.
Now a staple of the scoring lineup, Schiergen, a sophomore, has been a member of the five in every event throughout his young career.
Rounding out the lineup is Schultz, a redshirt sophomore from Andover, Kansas, who brought home some hardware last fall with an individual title at the Wildcat Invitational. The Big 12 Conference honored Schultz as the Big 12 Golfer of the Month in September, marking the first time a Wildcat received the award since 2018.
Nicklaus Mason also made the trip and will be competing this week as an individual. His sophomore season has included a pair of top-five finishes, and he is currently tied with Hopkins for the team lead in stroke average at 69.78.
Joining Kansas State and host school South Alabama in a 15-team field is Arkansas, Davidson, No. 5 Illinois, Kent State, Louisiana, Memphis, Oral Roberts, Seton Hall, Southern Miss, Texas State, Toledo, VCU, and Western Kentucky.
This is the Wildcats' sixth appearance in the event, which was formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. Last spring, the Wildcats finished in fourth place at 5-under par 859, while Tillmanns recorded a top-10 individual finish.
"Magnolia Grove is a great golf course," said Robbins. "It's one where if you drive it well you can have a lot of birdie opportunities. It's a strong field and will be a good test for us."
The 54-hole event will start at 8 a.m. on both days, with the first two rounds scheduled for Monday before a final round on Tuesday. Play on Monday will begin with a shotgun start while Tuesday will use tee times. Fans can follow along with live scoring on Golfstat.com.
"We are excited to get back out competing again," said head coach Grant Robbins. "We have prepared pretty well the last couple of weeks. Now it's just a matter of getting out and trusting the work we've put in."
The Wildcats enter the spring schedule - which includes six regular season events - with ample momentum following the best fall slate in school history. K-State won three straight team championships as it claimed the titles at the Wildcat Invitational, Old Town Collegiate, and Oregon State Invitational. In their three victories, no Wildcat in the scoring lineup finished outside the top 20 on the leaderboard.
It was the first time in history that a Wildcat team won three-consecutive titles. The three wins are the most ever in a fall schedule and already rank as the third-most wins in a single season.
The Cats also competed well at the Big 12 Match Play Championship with a victory over No. 21 Texas, and a draw with No. 1 Texas Tech.
In the three stroke-play events, the Wildcats racked up 40 wins and tallied a 279.33 stroke average, which is on pace to shatter the current school record of 285.86 set in 2018-19.
The Cats' five-man scoring lineup this week is comprised of Tim Tillmanns, Will Hopkins, Luke O'Neill, Laurenz Schiergen, and Cooper Schultz. It's Robbins' first use of this lineup combination this season.
Four members of this week's scoring lineup have under-par stroke averages this season and they have combined for 13 top-20 finishes.
K-State is led by two veteran leaders in seniors Hopkins and Tillmans, who have 18 career top-10 finishes between them. They bring with them 176 rounds of experience that will be crucial throughout a difficult spring slate.
Making his 23rd appearance is O'Neill, a junior who played a big role at the Big 12 Match Play Championship by picking up individual wins in the Wildcats' draw with No. 1 Texas Tech and defeat of No. 21 Texas.
Now a staple of the scoring lineup, Schiergen, a sophomore, has been a member of the five in every event throughout his young career.
Rounding out the lineup is Schultz, a redshirt sophomore from Andover, Kansas, who brought home some hardware last fall with an individual title at the Wildcat Invitational. The Big 12 Conference honored Schultz as the Big 12 Golfer of the Month in September, marking the first time a Wildcat received the award since 2018.
Nicklaus Mason also made the trip and will be competing this week as an individual. His sophomore season has included a pair of top-five finishes, and he is currently tied with Hopkins for the team lead in stroke average at 69.78.
Joining Kansas State and host school South Alabama in a 15-team field is Arkansas, Davidson, No. 5 Illinois, Kent State, Louisiana, Memphis, Oral Roberts, Seton Hall, Southern Miss, Texas State, Toledo, VCU, and Western Kentucky.
This is the Wildcats' sixth appearance in the event, which was formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. Last spring, the Wildcats finished in fourth place at 5-under par 859, while Tillmanns recorded a top-10 individual finish.
"Magnolia Grove is a great golf course," said Robbins. "It's one where if you drive it well you can have a lot of birdie opportunities. It's a strong field and will be a good test for us."
The 54-hole event will start at 8 a.m. on both days, with the first two rounds scheduled for Monday before a final round on Tuesday. Play on Monday will begin with a shotgun start while Tuesday will use tee times. Fans can follow along with live scoring on Golfstat.com.
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