K-State in Sixth, Dobbin in Fifth at Southern Dunes

MARICOPA, Ariz. – The Kansas State men's golf team received a pair of rounds in the 60s from freshman Fionn Dobbin on Monday, as the Wildcats are in sixth place through 36 holes of the Southern Dunes Invitational at the par-72, 7,546-yard Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club.

Dobbin, a freshman from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, carded a 7-under par 137 over the first two rounds of his collegiate debut as he is in fifth place. As a team, K-State is at even-par 576, shooting a 1-under par 287 in the morning and a 1-over par 289 over the second 18 holes. The Wildcats enter Tuesday's final round only five shots out of a tie for third place.

"I'm really proud of Fionn. He was rock solid all day and showed a lot of poise as a freshman playing in his first tournament," head coach Grant Robbins said. "However, it was a disappointing day for us overall. As a team, we made 31 birdies and five eagles, but it was the big numbers that really set us back. We just have to make better decisions and take what the golf course gives us."

Dobbin's first collegiate round was a 4-under par 68, and he backed that up with a 3-under par 69 in the afternoon. In total, he tallied nine birdies and an eagle on the day as opposed to just four bogeys. Over his final 10 holes of the afternoon, Dobbin went bogey-free and 4-under par.

Dobbin enters Tuesday's final round three shots behind current leader Gavin Aurilia of USC. The Trojans also hold the team lead at 24-under par 552.

Senior transfer Kobe Valociek is tied for 29th place at 1-over par 145 thanks in part to a second-round score of 1-under par 71.

The Wildcats have three players tied for 38th place in seniors Cooper Schultz and Nicklaus Mason in addition to freshman Erik Sabelström Holmberg, the latter of which is playing as an individual. The trio recorded a 36-hole score of 3-over par 147 with the best round of the group coming from Sabelstrom Holmberg at 2-under par 70 over the first 18 holes.

Also playing as individuals, senior Ian McCrary is tied for 41st place at 4-over par 148, while sophomore Harry Bent is tied for 46th place with a two-round total of 6-over par 150. Senior JP Roller enters the final round tied for 55th place at 10-over par 154.

"The guys are playing well as evident by the number of birdies they are making. We just need to go out tomorrow and play smart. If we do, we should have a chance to move up quite a bit on the leaderboard."

The final round of the Southern Dunes Invitational will tee off at 8:30 a.m. (PT) on Tuesday. Live results can be followed at www.Golfstat.com.

– 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.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Harry Bent

Fionn Dobbin

Nicklaus Mason

Ian McCrary

JP Roller

Cooper Schultz

Kobe Valociek

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