Cats Capture First Title of 2023-24 Season

Sunday, September 17

Manhattan, Kan.

Kansas State University

Wildcat Invitational

Sep 18, 2023 | Men's Golf

Final Results

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State men's golf team battled through windy conditions to put together a final-round score of 2-over 290 on Monday, holding off a late charge from Southern Illinois and earning its first victory of the 2023-24 season at the Wildcat Invitational held at the par-72, 7,525-yard Colbert Hills Golf Course.

It is the second-straight year K-State won its home tournament and marks the fifth victory overall dating back to the beginning of last season.

"I'm really proud of how the guys competed this week. It was a nice team win as everyone contributed," said head coach Grant Robbins, whose team finished five shots ahead of the second-place Salukis. "I was really proud of the poise we showed down the stretch today. It got pretty close there toward the end, but we hit the shots and made the putts we needed to. It's a great experience for us this early in the season and definitely something we will build on."

The Wildcats had five players finish in the top 11 spots, including three that were members of the scoring lineup in senior Luke O'Neill and juniors Cooper Schultz and Nicklaus Mason.

Schultz tied for third place with three rounds of under-par golf and a final tally of 8-under par 208 thanks to a 2-under par 70 on Monday. O'Neill finished in sixth place at 6-under par 210, while Mason finished in eighth place at 3-under par 213 as he went under par the final two rounds.

Competing as individuals, Alex Lindstrom and JP Roller also finished high on the leaderboard, as Lindstrom finished in second place at 10-under par 206 and Roller tied for 11th at 1-under par 215.

Lindstrom, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College, backed up a 5-under par second round with a 6-under par 66 in Monday's final round. Roller, a transfer from Texas Tech, climbed 13 spots on the leaderboard during the final round thanks to a 2-under par 70.

Ian McCrary, who transferred in from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, tied for 27th place at 4-over par 220. A pair of freshmen, Bryant Polhill and Harry Bent, tied for 42nd and 50th, respectively. Polhill finished with a three-round score of 7-over par 223, one shot ahead of Bent. Ben Stoller tied for 71st at 16-over par 232.

Grand Canyon's Nicky Kling took home individual medalist honors at 13-under par 203, the best 54-hole score in the three years of the Wildcat Invitational.

Next up for Kansas State is a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to take part in the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, next Monday and Tuesday, at UNM Golf Course.