Cats in Contention Entering Final Round of Johnnie-O
Mar 13, 2023 | Men's Golf
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - Led by senior Tim Tillmanns - who is in first place on the individual leaderboard - the 25th-ranked Kansas State men's golf team bounced back from a 9-over par round on Monday morning to card the best round of any team in the afternoon at 7-under par 273, as the Wildcats are in second place after the first day of The Johnnie-O held at the par-70, 7,005-yard Sea Island Golf Club Seaside Course.
K-State's opening round of 9-over par 289 put the Cats in eighth place before vaulting five spots on the leaderboard to 1-over par 561 entering Tuesday's final round. The Wildcats are just two shots behind first-place and No. 37 Ohio State.
"I'm really proud of our guys for the way they hung in there on a tough day," head coach Grant Robbins said. "It's a difficult golf course, and with a north wind like we had this morning, if you weren't sharp with your ballstriking, it made it tough to score. We just persevered and had a few putts fall in the afternoon that gave us some momentum."
Kansas State is in the hunt for its fourth championship of the season, which would tie for the second most team titles in a single season.
Tillmanns opened the tournament with a 3-under par 67 morning round before topping that with a 5-under par 65 in the afternoon. He carded a tournament-leading 12 birdies on the day, including four-birdie stretches on holes 5-8 in both rounds.
A product of Cologne, Germany, Tillmanns is in search of his first collegiate victory as his previous best was a tie for second place at the Husker Invitational in April 2021. He enters Tuesday's final round three shots ahead of Kent State's Barend Botha.
"Tim was rock solid all day," Robbins said. "He did a great job of hitting his spots and putted extremely well."
Will Hopkins and Luke O'Neill are tied for 19th place at 2-over par 142. Hopkins carded a 2-over par 72 in the first round before turning in an even-par 70 in the afternoon. O'Neill shot a 4-over par 74 in the morning and recorded a 2-under par 68 in the second round.
Cooper Schultz is at 5-over par 145 thanks to an even-par 70 in the afternoon that followed a 5-over par 75 in the first round. He enters Tuesday's final 18 tied for 35th place.
Nicklaus Mason carded a 10-over 80 in the first 18 but came back in the afternoon with an even-par 70. He enters Tuesday's final round tied for 63rd at 10-over par 150.
Ben Stoller, who is competing as an individual, is tied for 73rd at 17-over par 157.
"We are looking forward to tomorrow," said Robbins. "There are a lot of great teams bunched up at the top of the leaderboard, and we are excited to be in the mix heading into the final round."
The final round of The Johnnie-O will begin with a 7:45 a.m. (CT) shotgun start on Tuesday. Fans can follow live scoring on Golfstat.com.
K-State's opening round of 9-over par 289 put the Cats in eighth place before vaulting five spots on the leaderboard to 1-over par 561 entering Tuesday's final round. The Wildcats are just two shots behind first-place and No. 37 Ohio State.
"I'm really proud of our guys for the way they hung in there on a tough day," head coach Grant Robbins said. "It's a difficult golf course, and with a north wind like we had this morning, if you weren't sharp with your ballstriking, it made it tough to score. We just persevered and had a few putts fall in the afternoon that gave us some momentum."
Kansas State is in the hunt for its fourth championship of the season, which would tie for the second most team titles in a single season.
Tillmanns opened the tournament with a 3-under par 67 morning round before topping that with a 5-under par 65 in the afternoon. He carded a tournament-leading 12 birdies on the day, including four-birdie stretches on holes 5-8 in both rounds.
A product of Cologne, Germany, Tillmanns is in search of his first collegiate victory as his previous best was a tie for second place at the Husker Invitational in April 2021. He enters Tuesday's final round three shots ahead of Kent State's Barend Botha.
"Tim was rock solid all day," Robbins said. "He did a great job of hitting his spots and putted extremely well."
Will Hopkins and Luke O'Neill are tied for 19th place at 2-over par 142. Hopkins carded a 2-over par 72 in the first round before turning in an even-par 70 in the afternoon. O'Neill shot a 4-over par 74 in the morning and recorded a 2-under par 68 in the second round.
Cooper Schultz is at 5-over par 145 thanks to an even-par 70 in the afternoon that followed a 5-over par 75 in the first round. He enters Tuesday's final 18 tied for 35th place.
Nicklaus Mason carded a 10-over 80 in the first 18 but came back in the afternoon with an even-par 70. He enters Tuesday's final round tied for 63rd at 10-over par 150.
Ben Stoller, who is competing as an individual, is tied for 73rd at 17-over par 157.
"We are looking forward to tomorrow," said Robbins. "There are a lot of great teams bunched up at the top of the leaderboard, and we are excited to be in the mix heading into the final round."
The final round of The Johnnie-O will begin with a 7:45 a.m. (CT) shotgun start on Tuesday. Fans can follow live scoring on Golfstat.com.
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