K-State Opens 2025-26 By Hosting Wildcat Invitational

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following the third postseason appearance in the last four seasons, the Kansas State men's golf team kicks off the 2025-26 campaign by hosting the Wildcat Invitational, Monday and Tuesday, at the par-72, 7,525-yard Colbert Hills.

This is the fifth-straight season that K-State is hosting a fall tournament at its home course, claiming each of the last three team titles and producing the individual champion on two occasions. K-State earned a 16-shot victory in last year's Wildcat Invitational, while it picked up a five-shot victory over Southern Illinois two years ago and was 27 strokes better than the field in 2022.

"We are excited to get the season started, especially here at home," said head coach Grant Robbins, who enters his 12th season as K-State's head coach in 2025-26. "Colbert Hills is in fantastic shape, and we are looking forward to hosting a great field. There is always a unique pressure and high expectations when playing at home, but the guys have prepared well. If we stay focused on our game plan, we will be successful."

Kansas State welcomes 13 other teams to Colbert Hills in Bradley, Creighton, Drake, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Kansas City, Lindenwood, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, Omaha, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Southern Illinois.

After seeing four players graduate off last year's squad, the Wildcats will have a new look in 2025-26, and all nine members of K-State's roster will compete in the initial event of the season. The scoring lineup for the season opener features freshman Oliver Toyer, sophomore Tyler Strong, senior transfer Shea Harmeson, sophomore Fionn Dobbin and senior Alex Lindstrom. Seniors Ben Stoller and JP Roller will be joined by sophomore Erik Sabelström Holmberg and freshman Ville Virkkala as those playing solely as individuals.

"We have only been practicing as a team for a couple of weeks, and I've been impressed with how hard the guys are working and how they have competed," Robbins said. "We have some new faces in the lineup this year. Seeing them put up some solid numbers in qualifying shows they are ready to contribute right away."

Toyer, a native of Cambridgeshire, England, was a member of the English National team and ranked 34th in the U18 European Amateur Rankings at the time of his signing last November. He won a 2024 Faldo Series event in October 2024 before a runner-up finish in the 2023 English U18 Championship and a third-place showing in the 2024 World Junior Golf Championship in Spain.

A native of Olathe, Kansas, Strong competed in four events during his inaugural collegiate campaign last season with a 73.58 scoring average over four events. His best finish of the season came at last year's Wildcat Invitational when he tied for 13th place at 4-over par 220.

Harmeson is a transfer from Saginaw Valley State where he also played on the Cardinals' club hockey team for two years before focusing solely on golf. He comes to K-State with a 73.41 career scoring average with five top-five finishes, which includes three victories. Last season was his best on the links as he averaged 72.61 shots per round with a pair of wins.

Dobbin, who hails from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, was a member of the scoring lineup for seven events last season, producing a 73.41 scoring average. Like Strong, his best finish as a freshman came at the Wildcat Invitational, a tie for 10th place at 2-over par 218.

A former transfer from Hutchinson Community College, Lindstrom enters his third season at K-State with a 73.55 career scoring average and three top-20 finishes. A native of Halmstad, Sweden, Lindstrom put together the best finish of his Wildcat career in his first start by placing second in the 2023 Wildcat Invitational at 10-under par 206.

Stoller, a product of Owasso, Oklahoma, is making his seventh appearance as a Wildcat with a 76.00 career scoring average. Roller, a former Texas Tech transfer and native of Jenks, Oklahoma, has a 73.38 career scoring average over his time as a Red Raider and Wildcat. His best finish in three events a year ago was a tie for 10th place at the Wildcat Invitational.

Sabelström Holmberg enters his second season as a Wildcat after putting together a 74.00 scoring average in 10 events a year ago, which included each of the final four as a member of the scoring lineup. Virkkala, a native of Espoo, Finland, was a member of the Finnish National Team. He ranked 26th in the U21 European Amateur Rankings at the time of his signing last November thanks in part to a runner-up finish at the 2024 Timberwise Finnish Open, a professional event that is part of the Ecco Tour.

A shotgun start at 8:30 a.m., begins play on both days with 36 holes being contested on Monday before Tuesday's final round. Live results can be followed 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.

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Players Mentioned

Fionn Dobbin

Shea Harmeson

Alex Lindstrom

JP Roller

Ben Stoller

Tyler Strong

Oliver Toyer

Ville Virkkala

Kansas State University Athletics