K-State Battles on First Day of Big 12 Match Play
Oct 07, 2024 | Men's Golf
HOCKLEY, Texas – The Kansas State men's golf team battled back to earn a tie against Oklahoma State in the afternoon after narrowly falling in its morning match to Kansas on the first day of the Big 12 Match Play Tournament on Monday held at the par-71, 7,007-yard Houston Oaks.
The Wildcats and Cowboys saw the overall team lead bounce between the two teams throughout the afternoon before OSU took the lead late in the match. However, K-State freshman Fionn Dobbin earned a victory on the final hole of his match to win, 1 Up, giving K-State a split in its decision against Oklahoma State, 2-2-1.
That came on the heels of a hard-fought morning match against Kansas where the Jayhawks earned a tight 3-2 victory.
"I thought we played pretty well today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "We just couldn't make enough putts to get that third point this morning, but this afternoon our freshmen were very clutch in helping us get the tie against a really good Oklahoma State team. Match play is all about momentum, and we just need to keep building on our play today and try and get a couple of wins tomorrow."
Dobbin was up by two holes with three holes remaining before Oklahoma State's Brady Catalano squared the match with one hole left. However, Dobbin won the 18th and decisive hole on a 12-foot birdie putt to pick up the win.
The Wildcats also received a 1 Up victory from another freshman, Erik Sabelstrom Holmberg, taking the lead over Gaven Lang with three holes left and holding on for the win. Senior Cooper Schultz earned a tie against Preston Stout as neither competitor held a lead of more than one hole throughout the round.
Kobe Vaolciek lost his match against Oklahoma State's Ethan Fang, 2 Up, while Nicklaus Mason suffered a 3&2 defeat to Eric Lee.
K-State's two wins of its morning match against Kansas came from Valociek and Sabelstrom Holmberg. Valociek earned a 4&3 victory over Gunnar Broin. He jumped out to a three-hole lead after winning No. 4, the sixth hole of the match. Following a victory on the 13th hole of the round, Valociek halved the next two holes for the victory.
Sabelstrom Holmberg earned a wire-to-wire 5&4 victory over Noah Holtzman as he won the first hole of the morning – No. 18 – and also earned wins on Nos. 3, 6, 7 and 9. After dropping the 12th hole of the day, he ended the match with a win on the 14th hole.
The morning round saw defeats by Mason (3&1), Schultz (5&3) and Dobbin (2&1).
K-State continues the 2024 Big 12 Match Play against UCF on Tuesday morning before the Wildcats face their equal finisher in Pool C. Live results can be followed on Golfstat.
Strong Leads Trio of Wildcats in Newton
Freshman Tyler Strong carded a round of 1-under par 71 on Monday as he enters Tuesday's final round of the Shocker Invitational tied for 15th place at the par-72, 7,491-yard Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas.
Strong, a native of Olathe, Kansas, was dominant on his final 9 holes of the day, going bogey free and 1-under par to bring his 36-hole score to 1-over par 145.
After carding a 2-over par 74 on Sunday, sophomore Harry Bent turned in a round of 2-over par 74 on Monday. He is currently tied for 32nd place at 4-over par 148. Junior Alex Lindstrom is tied for 67th place at 11-over par 155.
Live results of the Shocker Invitational can be followed on Golfstat.
The Wildcats and Cowboys saw the overall team lead bounce between the two teams throughout the afternoon before OSU took the lead late in the match. However, K-State freshman Fionn Dobbin earned a victory on the final hole of his match to win, 1 Up, giving K-State a split in its decision against Oklahoma State, 2-2-1.
That came on the heels of a hard-fought morning match against Kansas where the Jayhawks earned a tight 3-2 victory.
"I thought we played pretty well today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "We just couldn't make enough putts to get that third point this morning, but this afternoon our freshmen were very clutch in helping us get the tie against a really good Oklahoma State team. Match play is all about momentum, and we just need to keep building on our play today and try and get a couple of wins tomorrow."
Dobbin was up by two holes with three holes remaining before Oklahoma State's Brady Catalano squared the match with one hole left. However, Dobbin won the 18th and decisive hole on a 12-foot birdie putt to pick up the win.
The Wildcats also received a 1 Up victory from another freshman, Erik Sabelstrom Holmberg, taking the lead over Gaven Lang with three holes left and holding on for the win. Senior Cooper Schultz earned a tie against Preston Stout as neither competitor held a lead of more than one hole throughout the round.
Kobe Vaolciek lost his match against Oklahoma State's Ethan Fang, 2 Up, while Nicklaus Mason suffered a 3&2 defeat to Eric Lee.
K-State's two wins of its morning match against Kansas came from Valociek and Sabelstrom Holmberg. Valociek earned a 4&3 victory over Gunnar Broin. He jumped out to a three-hole lead after winning No. 4, the sixth hole of the match. Following a victory on the 13th hole of the round, Valociek halved the next two holes for the victory.
Sabelstrom Holmberg earned a wire-to-wire 5&4 victory over Noah Holtzman as he won the first hole of the morning – No. 18 – and also earned wins on Nos. 3, 6, 7 and 9. After dropping the 12th hole of the day, he ended the match with a win on the 14th hole.
The morning round saw defeats by Mason (3&1), Schultz (5&3) and Dobbin (2&1).
K-State continues the 2024 Big 12 Match Play against UCF on Tuesday morning before the Wildcats face their equal finisher in Pool C. Live results can be followed on Golfstat.
Strong Leads Trio of Wildcats in Newton
Freshman Tyler Strong carded a round of 1-under par 71 on Monday as he enters Tuesday's final round of the Shocker Invitational tied for 15th place at the par-72, 7,491-yard Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas.
Strong, a native of Olathe, Kansas, was dominant on his final 9 holes of the day, going bogey free and 1-under par to bring his 36-hole score to 1-over par 145.
After carding a 2-over par 74 on Sunday, sophomore Harry Bent turned in a round of 2-over par 74 on Monday. He is currently tied for 32nd place at 4-over par 148. Junior Alex Lindstrom is tied for 67th place at 11-over par 155.
Live results of the Shocker Invitational can be followed on Golfstat.
– k-statesports.com –
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Men's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Men's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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