Tillmanns, Wildcats on a Steady Climb
Feb 22, 2023 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Tim Tillmanns is about to get after it. It's 11:30 a.m. Monday and the Kansas State senior is taking nothing for granted. For the next six hours, he's going to play Colbert Hills Golf Course and work on his craft. He eats, he studies, he sleeps, and he golfs. Because he has goals. He has goals for himself. He has goals for this team.
K-State is ranked No. 25 and next plays the Colleton River Collegiate at Colleton River Pete Dye Course in Bluffton, South Carolina. That will come on March 6-7. The Wildcats battled to a third-place finish at 20-under par 844 there last year. Tillmanns tied for 15th with a 3-under par 213. Tillmanns remembers the par-72, 7,042-yard Nicklaus Course well.
"What do I like best about the course? Definitely that it's a good scoring opportunity, especially if you hit the ball really well," Tillmanns says. "It's going to be a course that if you hit it well, you're going to score low, but if you don't play well, you're going to have a tough time keeping the ball in play. We just have to play good golf and the results will come with that."
Tillmanns comes off an impressive final-day charge in the Hal Williams Collegiate on February 14 that helped him to a 22nd-place finish. He made an eight-spot jump on the final day and finished 1-under par 212.
"I played good all week, but all three rounds I just couldn't get a putt or two," Tillmanns says. "I had struggled on the back nine, which was the harder nine of the two, but luckily on the back nine on the final day, I got my putter to work. I shot a 2-under on the back nine, which was good. I was feeling good and everything was working.
"I wouldn't say it was my biggest comeback, but it's the one I'm proudest of just because of how I've performed last year and this year on the back nine of the golf course. I've never really done well on them. But I've seen a trend this year that I always seem to do well on the final round, which has helped me, and I'm very happy about that."
Led by a top-1o individual finish from senior Will Hopkins, the Wildcats placed third at 13-under par 839 at the par-71, 7,168-yard Magnolia Grove Golf Club. Tillmanns finished second for the Wildcats.
Overall, it marked K-State's fourth top-five team finish of the season after winning three championships in the fall — the Wildcat Invitational, the Old Town Collegiate (at Wake Forest), and the Oregon State Invitational.
"Wake Forest was my favorite," Tillmanns says. "All the times I've played in it, it's been a really good event. It's a really good course, one of my favorites, and you're competing against a lot of good teams. Obviously, this time we won it, so that made it a very memorable tournament."
Tillmanns finished out the fall with a 70.67 stroke average and three top-20 finishes, including two in the top 10. His top performance came at the Wildcat Invitational where he finished at 3-under par 213 and tied for sixth place. He tied for ninth place at the Oregon State Invitational and helped K-State to its best fall season in school history.
There's more to come.
"It's very, very exciting," Tillmanns says. "We all got the feeling of competing in the NCAAs last year. Everybody played well this past summer and we were excited to get it going. Obviously, we played all right last year, but not up to our expectations."
It's been a steady climb for Tillmanns, a native of Cologne, Germany. Tillmanns grew up with a golf club in his hands. His father, Guido is a golf professional. Tillmanns caught K-State's eye when he represented Germany at the 2018 European Boys Team Championship. K-State head coach Grant Robbins saw Tillmanns compete at the British Boys Championship. Tillmanns committed to K-State and took his official visit in fall 2018.
As a freshman, Tillmanns competed in one event. As a sophomore, he participated in nine events, including an individual bid to the NCAA Stillwater Regional and tallied a 72.75 stroke average, the second-best on the team. Last season, he led the team with a 72.52 stroke average and captured a team-high eight top-20 finishes, including five in the top 10.
He shot a 2-under par 214 to lead K-State at the NCAA Norman Regional to tie for 14th place, which was the highest finish by a Wildcat at an NCAA Regional since 2006. The performance was highlighted by a 5-under par 67 second round, the lowest round by a Wildcat in postseason history.
And now? He's golfing five or six hours every day and awaiting his next chance to help the Wildcats shine.
"How have I changed from this time a year ago? I've definitely matured," Tillmanns says. "Obviously, I have more experience because we're playing a lot of good tournaments. I've just kept steadily improving in all aspects. I'm a more mature, developed and consistent golfer."
Tillmanns and the Wildcats carry high yet attainable goals this spring.
"This year, we all had big momentum going into the fall," Tillmanns says. "The results gave us confidence in knowing that the work we're putting in is finally paying off. Most definitely our goal is to make it to match play in the NCAA Nationals. I think we're definitely good enough to achieve that goal. Now we just have to do it."
Tim Tillmanns is about to get after it. It's 11:30 a.m. Monday and the Kansas State senior is taking nothing for granted. For the next six hours, he's going to play Colbert Hills Golf Course and work on his craft. He eats, he studies, he sleeps, and he golfs. Because he has goals. He has goals for himself. He has goals for this team.
K-State is ranked No. 25 and next plays the Colleton River Collegiate at Colleton River Pete Dye Course in Bluffton, South Carolina. That will come on March 6-7. The Wildcats battled to a third-place finish at 20-under par 844 there last year. Tillmanns tied for 15th with a 3-under par 213. Tillmanns remembers the par-72, 7,042-yard Nicklaus Course well.
"What do I like best about the course? Definitely that it's a good scoring opportunity, especially if you hit the ball really well," Tillmanns says. "It's going to be a course that if you hit it well, you're going to score low, but if you don't play well, you're going to have a tough time keeping the ball in play. We just have to play good golf and the results will come with that."
Tillmanns comes off an impressive final-day charge in the Hal Williams Collegiate on February 14 that helped him to a 22nd-place finish. He made an eight-spot jump on the final day and finished 1-under par 212.
"I played good all week, but all three rounds I just couldn't get a putt or two," Tillmanns says. "I had struggled on the back nine, which was the harder nine of the two, but luckily on the back nine on the final day, I got my putter to work. I shot a 2-under on the back nine, which was good. I was feeling good and everything was working.
"I wouldn't say it was my biggest comeback, but it's the one I'm proudest of just because of how I've performed last year and this year on the back nine of the golf course. I've never really done well on them. But I've seen a trend this year that I always seem to do well on the final round, which has helped me, and I'm very happy about that."
Led by a top-1o individual finish from senior Will Hopkins, the Wildcats placed third at 13-under par 839 at the par-71, 7,168-yard Magnolia Grove Golf Club. Tillmanns finished second for the Wildcats.
Overall, it marked K-State's fourth top-five team finish of the season after winning three championships in the fall — the Wildcat Invitational, the Old Town Collegiate (at Wake Forest), and the Oregon State Invitational.
"Wake Forest was my favorite," Tillmanns says. "All the times I've played in it, it's been a really good event. It's a really good course, one of my favorites, and you're competing against a lot of good teams. Obviously, this time we won it, so that made it a very memorable tournament."
Tillmanns finished out the fall with a 70.67 stroke average and three top-20 finishes, including two in the top 10. His top performance came at the Wildcat Invitational where he finished at 3-under par 213 and tied for sixth place. He tied for ninth place at the Oregon State Invitational and helped K-State to its best fall season in school history.
There's more to come.
"It's very, very exciting," Tillmanns says. "We all got the feeling of competing in the NCAAs last year. Everybody played well this past summer and we were excited to get it going. Obviously, we played all right last year, but not up to our expectations."
It's been a steady climb for Tillmanns, a native of Cologne, Germany. Tillmanns grew up with a golf club in his hands. His father, Guido is a golf professional. Tillmanns caught K-State's eye when he represented Germany at the 2018 European Boys Team Championship. K-State head coach Grant Robbins saw Tillmanns compete at the British Boys Championship. Tillmanns committed to K-State and took his official visit in fall 2018.
As a freshman, Tillmanns competed in one event. As a sophomore, he participated in nine events, including an individual bid to the NCAA Stillwater Regional and tallied a 72.75 stroke average, the second-best on the team. Last season, he led the team with a 72.52 stroke average and captured a team-high eight top-20 finishes, including five in the top 10.
He shot a 2-under par 214 to lead K-State at the NCAA Norman Regional to tie for 14th place, which was the highest finish by a Wildcat at an NCAA Regional since 2006. The performance was highlighted by a 5-under par 67 second round, the lowest round by a Wildcat in postseason history.
And now? He's golfing five or six hours every day and awaiting his next chance to help the Wildcats shine.
"How have I changed from this time a year ago? I've definitely matured," Tillmanns says. "Obviously, I have more experience because we're playing a lot of good tournaments. I've just kept steadily improving in all aspects. I'm a more mature, developed and consistent golfer."
Tillmanns and the Wildcats carry high yet attainable goals this spring.
"This year, we all had big momentum going into the fall," Tillmanns says. "The results gave us confidence in knowing that the work we're putting in is finally paying off. Most definitely our goal is to make it to match play in the NCAA Nationals. I think we're definitely good enough to achieve that goal. Now we just have to do it."
Players Mentioned
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