A Meaningful Victory
Sep 18, 2024 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Nicklaus Mason squinted. He tried to think of the last time that he won a golf tournament. All that he knew was that it hadn't happened at Kansas State.
Until now.
Mason, a senior from Shawnee, Kansas, led wire-to-wire and fired an 11-under par 205 to lead K-State to the team title in the 2024 Wildcat Invitational at Colbert Hills Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday.
Mason shot a 3-under par 69 in the final round for a three-round total of 205 that tied for the lowest competitive 54-hole score by a Wildcat in a competitive round at Colbert Hills and tied for 15th-overall in school history.
"This feels really good," said Mason, who entered the 2024 season ranked fourth in school history with a career scoring average of 72.46. "I've put myself in a lot of spots to win the last two years, and to have the lead going the whole tournament and to be able to close it out, that was really, really special."
K-State head coach Grant Robbins called the victory a "big goal" for Mason, who tied for eighth place at the 2023 Wildcat Invitational.
"For him to not only get the win but do so emphatically shows the player he is."
K-State posted its third-consecutive victory in the Wildcat Invitational with a three-round total of 14-under par 850 — a 16-stroke win. The Wildcats had a five-shot lead entering the final round.
They were aided by surging senior Cooper Schultz, who recorded one of the best rounds in school history on Tuesday by firing an 8-under par 64, climbing 27 spots on the leaderboard to tie for second place. It tied for the third-lowest round in school history and was the lowest competitive round by a Wildcat ever at Colbert Hills. Schultz's final round fireworks came after he entered the day tied for 29th place at 5-over par 149.
"Today, Cooper came out wanting to prove something," Robbins said.
Mason shot under par in all three rounds with 14 total birdies and two eagles in three rounds. Schultz, who started the final round on No. 3, was 9-under par through 16 holes, just two shots shy of tying the school record. He went 6-under par with four birdies, an eagle-2 on No. 15, and no bogeys on the back nine.
Senior Ian McCrary tied for fourth place, his best finish at K-State, with a 1-under par 215. Senior Kobe Valociek, a transfer from Virginia Tech, finished in seventh place with an even-par. Senior JP Roller and freshman Fionn Dobbin tied for 10th place at 2-over par 218.
Freshman Tyler Strong (13th), sophomore Harry Bent (tied for 17th), junior Alex Lindstrom (20th) and freshman Erik Sablestrom Holmberg (tied for 30th) rounded out the efforts by the Wildcats, who also fielded a "B" squad.
"It's not always easy to play on your home course when you're hosting a tournament," Robbins said. "There's always unique pressure to it. They went out there and played really hard. I'm proud of Nick and Cooper, two seniors, and how Nick got a 65 the first round, and Cooper got a 64 the third round. That's what team golf is all about."
K-State's win comes after a tough first tournament as it finished seventh place at the Southern Dunes Invitational in Maricopa, Arizona. Although Valociek tied for 17th place at 2-under par 214, the Wildcats were throttled by illness, and Dobbin even had to withdraw from the tournament due to illness after leading the squad over the first two rounds.
The senior-laden Wildcats have bounced back and are the Wildcats again.
"We had a tough last week," Robbins said. "We have a really good team this year, and we went out in the first tournament and didn't play very well with three or four guys sick. This tournament was really important. It was important to come back and show the kind of team we are and what we're capable of."
K-State next participates in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, September 30-October 2. Then the Wildcats turn their attention to the Big 12 Match Play Tournament, October 7-9, in Hockley, Texas.
"Obviously, our goal each and every year is to make the postseason," Robbins said. "We just have to keep getting better. I definitely think this is a team that can make the postseason. We still have a long season ahead of us and some things to improve upon. We're not setting limits on what we can achieve. We just want to keep getting better every time out. I really like our team. I like our depth and the competition within the team.
"We can achieve some really good things this year."
Nicklaus Mason squinted. He tried to think of the last time that he won a golf tournament. All that he knew was that it hadn't happened at Kansas State.
Until now.
Mason, a senior from Shawnee, Kansas, led wire-to-wire and fired an 11-under par 205 to lead K-State to the team title in the 2024 Wildcat Invitational at Colbert Hills Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday.
Mason shot a 3-under par 69 in the final round for a three-round total of 205 that tied for the lowest competitive 54-hole score by a Wildcat in a competitive round at Colbert Hills and tied for 15th-overall in school history.
"This feels really good," said Mason, who entered the 2024 season ranked fourth in school history with a career scoring average of 72.46. "I've put myself in a lot of spots to win the last two years, and to have the lead going the whole tournament and to be able to close it out, that was really, really special."
K-State head coach Grant Robbins called the victory a "big goal" for Mason, who tied for eighth place at the 2023 Wildcat Invitational.
"For him to not only get the win but do so emphatically shows the player he is."
K-State posted its third-consecutive victory in the Wildcat Invitational with a three-round total of 14-under par 850 — a 16-stroke win. The Wildcats had a five-shot lead entering the final round.
They were aided by surging senior Cooper Schultz, who recorded one of the best rounds in school history on Tuesday by firing an 8-under par 64, climbing 27 spots on the leaderboard to tie for second place. It tied for the third-lowest round in school history and was the lowest competitive round by a Wildcat ever at Colbert Hills. Schultz's final round fireworks came after he entered the day tied for 29th place at 5-over par 149.
"Today, Cooper came out wanting to prove something," Robbins said.
Mason shot under par in all three rounds with 14 total birdies and two eagles in three rounds. Schultz, who started the final round on No. 3, was 9-under par through 16 holes, just two shots shy of tying the school record. He went 6-under par with four birdies, an eagle-2 on No. 15, and no bogeys on the back nine.
Senior Ian McCrary tied for fourth place, his best finish at K-State, with a 1-under par 215. Senior Kobe Valociek, a transfer from Virginia Tech, finished in seventh place with an even-par. Senior JP Roller and freshman Fionn Dobbin tied for 10th place at 2-over par 218.
Freshman Tyler Strong (13th), sophomore Harry Bent (tied for 17th), junior Alex Lindstrom (20th) and freshman Erik Sablestrom Holmberg (tied for 30th) rounded out the efforts by the Wildcats, who also fielded a "B" squad.
"It's not always easy to play on your home course when you're hosting a tournament," Robbins said. "There's always unique pressure to it. They went out there and played really hard. I'm proud of Nick and Cooper, two seniors, and how Nick got a 65 the first round, and Cooper got a 64 the third round. That's what team golf is all about."
K-State's win comes after a tough first tournament as it finished seventh place at the Southern Dunes Invitational in Maricopa, Arizona. Although Valociek tied for 17th place at 2-under par 214, the Wildcats were throttled by illness, and Dobbin even had to withdraw from the tournament due to illness after leading the squad over the first two rounds.
The senior-laden Wildcats have bounced back and are the Wildcats again.
"We had a tough last week," Robbins said. "We have a really good team this year, and we went out in the first tournament and didn't play very well with three or four guys sick. This tournament was really important. It was important to come back and show the kind of team we are and what we're capable of."
K-State next participates in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, September 30-October 2. Then the Wildcats turn their attention to the Big 12 Match Play Tournament, October 7-9, in Hockley, Texas.
"Obviously, our goal each and every year is to make the postseason," Robbins said. "We just have to keep getting better. I definitely think this is a team that can make the postseason. We still have a long season ahead of us and some things to improve upon. We're not setting limits on what we can achieve. We just want to keep getting better every time out. I really like our team. I like our depth and the competition within the team.
"We can achieve some really good things this year."
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