Cats Take Lead into Final Round at Colbert Hills
Sep 16, 2024 | Men's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Led by seniors Nicklaus Mason and Kobe Valociek, the Kansas State men's golf team holds a five-shot lead after 36 holes of the Wildcat Invitational on Monday at the par-72, 7,525-yard Colbert Hills Golf Course.
The Wildcats are at 9-under par 567, which included an impressive 6-under par 282 facing windy conditions in the afternoon to extend its lead.
Mason, a Shawnee, Kansas native, holds the individual lead at 8-under par 136, while Valociek is in second place at 5-under par 139. K-State, which is also fielding a 'B' team, has all 10 competitors in the top 30 with five in the top 13. The B squad is in third place at 4-over par 580.
"I am really proud of how the guys competed today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "It wasn't always perfect but golf never is, and I thought they did a good job of bouncing back from mistakes and grinding for every shot. Nick is obviously playing rock solid, but everyone is contributing, which is good to see. We just have to stick to our game plan tomorrow and keep playing one shot at a time."
Mason's day featured a round of 7-under par 65 in the morning, which was tied for the seventh-lowest individual round in school history and was the lowest in the four-year edition of the Wildcat Invitational. Additionally, Mason's score tied for the lowest competitive round by a Wildcat at Colbert Hills with the 65 put up by Thomas Birdsey during the 2010 Jim Colbert Intercollegiate.
Mason came out firing in the morning, carding a bogey-free front 9 of 5-under par, while his second 9 featured an eagle on No. 13. In the second round, Mason struggled on the front by going 3-over par, but a back 9 score of 4-under par was highlighted by a hole-out for an eagle on No. 18 to finish the round at 1-under par.
Valociek, a transfer from Virginia Tech, turned in a 1-under par 71 in the morning before a round of 4-under par 68 in the afternoon. He carded five birdies and just one bogey over the second 18 holes, which included a bogey-free front 9 of 3-under par.
Freshman Fionn Dobbin is tied for 13th place at 1-over par 145 thanks in part to an even-par 72 in the second round. Another freshman, Erik Sabelström Holmberg, is tied for 25th place at 4-over par 148 with a 1-under par 71 in the afternoon, while senior Cooper Schultz is tied for 29th place at 5-over par 149.
K-State's B squad is paced by senior Ian McCrary, who is tied for third place at 3-under par 141 as he went under par in both rounds. His day was highlighted by a pair of eagles, which came on No. 16 in the first round and No. 14 in the afternoon. Sophomore Harry Bent is three shots back of McCrary and tied for sixth place at even-par 144.
Senior JP Roller is tied for 19th place at 3-over par 147, one shot ahead of freshman Tyler Strong, who is tied for 25th place. Junior Alex Lindstrom is tied for 29th place at 5-over par 149.
The final round of the Wildcat Invitational will tee off with an 8:30 a.m., shotgun start, and live results can be viewed on Scoreboard Powered by Clippd.
The Wildcats are at 9-under par 567, which included an impressive 6-under par 282 facing windy conditions in the afternoon to extend its lead.
Mason, a Shawnee, Kansas native, holds the individual lead at 8-under par 136, while Valociek is in second place at 5-under par 139. K-State, which is also fielding a 'B' team, has all 10 competitors in the top 30 with five in the top 13. The B squad is in third place at 4-over par 580.
"I am really proud of how the guys competed today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "It wasn't always perfect but golf never is, and I thought they did a good job of bouncing back from mistakes and grinding for every shot. Nick is obviously playing rock solid, but everyone is contributing, which is good to see. We just have to stick to our game plan tomorrow and keep playing one shot at a time."
Mason's day featured a round of 7-under par 65 in the morning, which was tied for the seventh-lowest individual round in school history and was the lowest in the four-year edition of the Wildcat Invitational. Additionally, Mason's score tied for the lowest competitive round by a Wildcat at Colbert Hills with the 65 put up by Thomas Birdsey during the 2010 Jim Colbert Intercollegiate.
Mason came out firing in the morning, carding a bogey-free front 9 of 5-under par, while his second 9 featured an eagle on No. 13. In the second round, Mason struggled on the front by going 3-over par, but a back 9 score of 4-under par was highlighted by a hole-out for an eagle on No. 18 to finish the round at 1-under par.
Valociek, a transfer from Virginia Tech, turned in a 1-under par 71 in the morning before a round of 4-under par 68 in the afternoon. He carded five birdies and just one bogey over the second 18 holes, which included a bogey-free front 9 of 3-under par.
Freshman Fionn Dobbin is tied for 13th place at 1-over par 145 thanks in part to an even-par 72 in the second round. Another freshman, Erik Sabelström Holmberg, is tied for 25th place at 4-over par 148 with a 1-under par 71 in the afternoon, while senior Cooper Schultz is tied for 29th place at 5-over par 149.
K-State's B squad is paced by senior Ian McCrary, who is tied for third place at 3-under par 141 as he went under par in both rounds. His day was highlighted by a pair of eagles, which came on No. 16 in the first round and No. 14 in the afternoon. Sophomore Harry Bent is three shots back of McCrary and tied for sixth place at even-par 144.
Senior JP Roller is tied for 19th place at 3-over par 147, one shot ahead of freshman Tyler Strong, who is tied for 25th place. Junior Alex Lindstrom is tied for 29th place at 5-over par 149.
The final round of the Wildcat Invitational will tee off with an 8:30 a.m., shotgun start, and live results can be viewed on Scoreboard Powered by Clippd.
– 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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