Cats in Contention at Colleton River

BLUFFTON, S.C. – Thanks to a 13-shot improvement from the morning to the afternoon, the Kansas State men's golf team is in second place and just three shots back following the first and second rounds of the Colleton River Collegiate on Sunday at the par-72, 7,403-yard Dye Course of Colleton River Club.

The Wildcats, who were in fourth place with a first-round score of 7-over par 295, turned in the best second-round tally among the 16-team field at 6-under par 282 on the demanding track. K-State's two-round total of 1-over par 577 is three shots shy of host school Michigan State, the only squad under par over the first 36 holes.

"It was pretty tough today. The golf course is really difficult, and the wind put a premium on ball striking," said head coach Grant Robbins, whose team ranks third in the field with 30 total birdies. "I am really proud of how the guys competed. It wasn't always pretty, but it seemed like we always bounced back if we made a mistake, and we played through some adversity really well. Tomorrow will be cold and the course setup will be tough yet again. We just have to stay patient, be disciplined with our targets and stick to the process, shot by shot. If we do that, we will be in good shape at the end of the day."

The Wildcats enter Monday's final round with four players in the top 15, led by seniors Cooper Schultz and Kobe Valociek in a tie for sixth place at 1-under par 143. They are two of only nine players in the 80-man field to go into the final 18 holes under par.

Schultz recorded a seven-shot turnaround from round one to round two following a score of 4-under par 68 in the afternoon, his eighth round in the 60s this season. A native of Andover, Kansas, Schultz is tied for first in the field by going a collective 5-under par on the par 5s, while he is tied for second with 10 total birdies. Valociek made a five-stroke improvement in the afternoon thanks to a second-round score of 3-under par 69. He has turned in a scorecard in the 60s on six occasions this season, including four in his last six rounds.

Also sitting in the top 15 are Ian McCrary, who is tied for 12th place at 2-over par 146, and Nicklaus Mason, who is tied for 15th place at 3-over par 147. A product of Overland Park, Kansas, McCrary rose 27 spots up the leaderboard with a score of 2-under par 70 in the afternoon, his best round of the spring. Mason raced out of the gate with a score of 2-under par 70 in the first round, which included a bogey-free 3-under par on the back 9.

Freshman Fionn Dobbin is tied for 72nd place at 14-over par 158.

Indiana's Cole Starnes holds a three-shot lead entering the final round at 7-under par 137.

Tee times for the final round of the Colleton River Collegiate begin at 7:50 a.m. (ET). 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.

Kansas State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Fionn Dobbin

Nicklaus Mason

Ian McCrary

Cooper Schultz

Kobe Valociek

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