K-State Returns to Old Hawthorne This Week

MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Kansas State men's golf team, sitting at No. 25 in the latest Golfstat rankings, will compete in its final event prior to the Big 12 Championship as the Wildcats travel east to Columbia, Missouri, to take part in the Tiger Collegiate Invitational, Monday and Tuesday, held at the par-72, 7,221-yard Club at Old Hawthorne.

This is an event where the Wildcats have historically had success as they finished in second place in the 2018, 2019 and 2021 editions. Last time at the Club at Old Hawthorne, K-State carded an 18-under par 846 and were led by Will Hopkins, who tied for third place on the individual leaderboard at 9-under par 207. In 2019, Kansas State carded an 831, which still stands as the seventh lowest 54-hole score in school history.

"We are looking forward to getting back and playing at Missouri this week," said head coach Grant Robbins, whose team did not participate in the event in 2022. "Old Hawthorne is a great golf course and one I think our guys really enjoy playing. If you drive it well, you can really set yourself up for a lot of birdie opportunities. We've had a good week of practice and are excited to compete against another strong field."

Hopkins will lead the Wildcats into Columbia again this year, while K-State will also have Tim Tillmanns, Cooper Schultz, Nicklaus Mason and Laurenz Schiergen as part of the scoring lineup. Luke O'Neill will compete as an individual.

Hopkins and Tillmanns each rank within the top 100 of the Golfstat individual rankings at No. 93 and No. 99, respectively. A native of Lincolnshire, England, Hopkins paces the Wildcats with a 70.08 stroke average, while Tillmanns, who hails from Cologne, Germany, is second at 70.13. Both players have recorded four top-10 finishes and one top-five showing this season.

A native of Andover, Kansas, Schultz is third on the team with a 71.08 stroke average thanks in part to a 5-under par 211 last week at the Mossy Oak Collegiate. It was the fourth time this season he finished an event under par.

Mason, another Kansas native hailing from Shawnee, holds a 71.50 stroke average, and he is a member of the Wildcats' scoring lineup for the seventh time in nine events this season. His best finish of the year was a tie for second a month ago at the Colleton River Collegiate after finishing at 10-under par 206.

Kansas State and No. 5 Illinois represent the only teams in the field that are ranked in the Golfstat Top 25. Joining those two and host-school Missouri are Arkansas State, Iowa State, Lipscomb, Louisiana-Monroe, Marquette, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Rutgers and Wyoming.

Play on Monday morning begins with a shotgun start at 9 a.m., while a shotgun start of 8:30 a.m. starts the final round on Tuesday. Live results can be followed at Golfstat.com.

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Players Mentioned

Will Hopkins

Nicklaus Mason

Luke O'Neill

Laurenz Schiergen

Cooper Schultz

Tim Tillmanns

Kansas State University Athletics