Wildcat Women Improve One Spot on Moving Day in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With under-par rounds from senior Noa van Beek and freshman Oliver Toyer, the Kansas State women's golf team improved one spot on the team leaderboard and the Wildcat men remained in fourth place during the second round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday held at the par-72 Blessings Golf Club.

Both teams carded a second-round score of 11-over par 299. The women's team moved up one spot to fifth place on their 10-team leaderboard with a 36-hole score of 31-over par 607. The Wildcats are two shots behind fourth-place BYU and two shots clear of sixth-place Louisville. Arkansas holds a 21-shot lead on its home course at 1-under par 575.

"Today was a much better round," women's head coach Stew Burke said. "We executed our game plan well even though we were unlucky with a couple of bad breaks coming in. Overall, the ladies did extremely well to stay composed. As much as we learned from yesterday, we continue to learn again today. This golf course gives very little away and demands precision. Tomorrow, all I can ask is for more of the same from everyone."

The K-State men maintained its position after shaving two strokes off its first-round score. The Wildcats hold a 36-hole score of 24-over par 600, three shots behind third-place BYU and one shot clear of fifth-place Missouri.

"I am really proud of the resilience and grit the guys had today," men's head coach Grant Robbins said. "It certainly wasn't our best day from a ballstriking standpoint, but we were able to make some really gutsy birdies and par saves to keep us in it. It took over seven and a half hours to play today, which is very draining mentally, especially on a course this difficult. We lost a few shots down the stretch solely because of mental fatigue. We have to keep focusing on what we can control, get some much-needed rest tonight and get ready to battle again tomorrow."

A native of Oene, Netherlands, van Beek produced one of only 11 under-par scores out of 110 total rounds on the women's side with a second-round tally of 1-under par 71. She carded five birdies on the day, including one on the par-4 18th to secure her under-par score. The senior moved one spot up the individual leaderboard into fourth place at even-par 144, one of only four individuals in the 55-player women's field to be at even or under par through 36 holes.

"Noa did very well again and kept the momentum going from the first hole," Burke said.

Like they did on Monday, sophomore Nanami Nakashima and freshman Keen Visavapattamawan carded identical scores during the second round, this time shooting a 4-over par 76. The duo improved five spots on the leaderboard to enter Wednesday's final round in a tie for 21st place at 10-over par 154.

Freshman Casey Kang and sophomore Kelsey Chen are tied for 26th place at 12-over par 156. Kang, a native of Lanzhou, China, improved 15 spots on Tuesday thanks to a round of 4-over par 76 as she battled through a pair of double-bogeys thanks to three birdies. Chen made a 12-spot improvement on Tuesday with a second-round score of 5-over par 77.

Freshman Stalee Fields, who is competing as an individual, is tied for 46th place at 17-over par 161.

Toyer, a native of Cambridgeshire, England, posted a score of 2-under par 70 – one of only nine under-par rounds in the men's event – to rise 17 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for ninth place at 3-over par 147. Toyer's round featured a bogey-free and 1-under par front side, while he made three birdies and two bogeys over the final nine holes to make his climb.

Senior Shea Harmeson carded a round of 3-over par 75 to fall six spots to a tie for 13th place at 4-over par 148. Freshman Ville Virkkala tallied a score of 7-over par 79 on Tuesday as he is now tied for 33rd place at 11-over par 155.

Alex Lindstrom could not keep the momentum going following a round of 3-over par on Monday as he turned in a score of 11-over par 83 in the second round. The senior enters the final round tied for 43rd place at 14-over par 158.

Sophomore Fionn Dobbin improved five spots on Tuesday thanks to a round of 3-over par 75, and he is tied with Lindstrom for 43rd place.

BYU's Simon Swan and Louisville's Warren Thomis – the latter of whom recorded a score of 5-under par on Tuesday – are tied atop the men's individual leaderboard at even-par 144. The women's leaderboard continues to be paced by Mississippi State's Avery Weed, who holds a seven-shot advantage at 11-under par 133.

The women's squad begins final-round play Wednesday morning at 8:15 a.m., off the first tee, while the Wildcat men start at 9 a.m. Live results are available on SCOREBOARD Powered by Clippd, with the men's results available here and the women's results available here.

– 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. For complete information on K-State Women's Golf, follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

Kansas State University Athletics

Wildcat Women Improve One Spot on Moving Day in Fayetteville

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Chen

Fionn Dobbin

Stalee Fields

Shea Harmeson

Casey Kang

Alex Lindstrom

Nanami Nakashima

Oliver Toyer

Noa van Beek

Ville Virkkala

Keen Visavapattamawan

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