Wildcats Shoot 1-Under Par on Tuesday
May 16, 2023 | Men's Golf
BATH, Mich. – The Kansas State men's golf team turned in a score of 1-under par 283 on Tuesday during the second round of the 2023 NCAA Bath Regional held at the par-71, 7,090-yard Eagle Eye Golf Club.
K-State moved two spots up the leaderboard into a tie for sixth place with a 36-hole score of 4-under par 564. The deficit to earn a top-five placing and move on to the NCAA Championship grew to seven shots as host-school Michigan State is currently in fifth place at 11-under par, but the Wildcats still remain within striking distance.
"Our guys really battled today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "The course played tougher. The wind picked up and made the greens much firmer, so it was hard to get many good birdie looks. I'm really proud of how they stayed in it and finished the round strong."
The Wildcats were once again led by junior Luke O'Neill, who carded a 2-under par 69 on Tuesday with birdies on Nos. 3, 13 and 18 compared to just one bogey. He improved six spots on the individual leaderboard into a tie for sixth place at 5-under par 137. Should the Wildcats not advance as a team, the Connemara, Ireland, native has positioned himself to be the top individual not on an advancing team to move on to the NCAA Championship.
"Luke had another excellent round today," Robbins said. "He's swinging the club really well right now and playing with confidence."
Senior Tim Tillmanns and sophomore Cooper Schultz each turned in a round of even-par 71 on Tuesday. Tillmanns resides in a tie for 21st at 2-under par 140. Schultz, who was coming off a 3-over par performance on Monday, rallied on Tuesday with birdies on his final two holes to level his score. He goes into Wednesday's final round in a tie for 46th place - a 13-spot improvement from Monday - at 3-over par 145.
Sophomore Nicklaus Mason registered a score of 1-over par 72 to move eight spots up the individual leaderboard into a tie for 51st place. Mason's day began with a double-bogey on No. 1 before three birdies and two bogeys gave him his final 1-over par result for the round and a 36-hole score of 4-over par 146.
Senior Will Hopkins was unable to duplicate his under-par opening round as he carded a 3-over par 74 on Tuesday. He fell 12 spots into a tie for 42nd place at 2-over par 144.
Georgia extended its lead with a 10-under par round on Tuesday, as the Bulldogs sit at 28-under par 540 for the regional. Illinois is second at 18-under par, followed by Oregon at 15-under par and Texas at 12-under par. Georgia has three of the top five individuals, as Ben Van Wyk continues to hold on to a one-shot advantage on the individual leaderboard at 9-under par 133.
"We are still within striking distance. We really don't need to change anything with our game plan. We just need to continue to be disciplined in our shot selection, stay patient and keep chipping away. If we can do that, I think we will be right there at the end."
Kansas State will embark on the final round of the 2023 NCAA Regional on Wednesday with a 9 a .m. (ET) tee time off hole No. 10, as the Wildcats will be paired with the two teams ahead of them in Texas and Michigan State. Live results can be followed at Golfstat.com.
K-State moved two spots up the leaderboard into a tie for sixth place with a 36-hole score of 4-under par 564. The deficit to earn a top-five placing and move on to the NCAA Championship grew to seven shots as host-school Michigan State is currently in fifth place at 11-under par, but the Wildcats still remain within striking distance.
"Our guys really battled today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "The course played tougher. The wind picked up and made the greens much firmer, so it was hard to get many good birdie looks. I'm really proud of how they stayed in it and finished the round strong."
The Wildcats were once again led by junior Luke O'Neill, who carded a 2-under par 69 on Tuesday with birdies on Nos. 3, 13 and 18 compared to just one bogey. He improved six spots on the individual leaderboard into a tie for sixth place at 5-under par 137. Should the Wildcats not advance as a team, the Connemara, Ireland, native has positioned himself to be the top individual not on an advancing team to move on to the NCAA Championship.
"Luke had another excellent round today," Robbins said. "He's swinging the club really well right now and playing with confidence."
Senior Tim Tillmanns and sophomore Cooper Schultz each turned in a round of even-par 71 on Tuesday. Tillmanns resides in a tie for 21st at 2-under par 140. Schultz, who was coming off a 3-over par performance on Monday, rallied on Tuesday with birdies on his final two holes to level his score. He goes into Wednesday's final round in a tie for 46th place - a 13-spot improvement from Monday - at 3-over par 145.
Sophomore Nicklaus Mason registered a score of 1-over par 72 to move eight spots up the individual leaderboard into a tie for 51st place. Mason's day began with a double-bogey on No. 1 before three birdies and two bogeys gave him his final 1-over par result for the round and a 36-hole score of 4-over par 146.
Senior Will Hopkins was unable to duplicate his under-par opening round as he carded a 3-over par 74 on Tuesday. He fell 12 spots into a tie for 42nd place at 2-over par 144.
Georgia extended its lead with a 10-under par round on Tuesday, as the Bulldogs sit at 28-under par 540 for the regional. Illinois is second at 18-under par, followed by Oregon at 15-under par and Texas at 12-under par. Georgia has three of the top five individuals, as Ben Van Wyk continues to hold on to a one-shot advantage on the individual leaderboard at 9-under par 133.
"We are still within striking distance. We really don't need to change anything with our game plan. We just need to continue to be disciplined in our shot selection, stay patient and keep chipping away. If we can do that, I think we will be right there at the end."
Kansas State will embark on the final round of the 2023 NCAA Regional on Wednesday with a 9 a .m. (ET) tee time off hole No. 10, as the Wildcats will be paired with the two teams ahead of them in Texas and Michigan State. Live results can be followed at Golfstat.com.
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