K-State Takes Title in Season-Opening Wildcat Invitational

MANHATTAN, Kan. – After putting the finishing touches on a 6-under par second round on Tuesday morning, the Kansas State men's golf team hung on during the final round in the afternoon to earn the victory at the Wildcat Invitational at the par-72, 7,525-yard Colbert Hills Golf Club.

Concluding the final four holes of the second round that was suspended due to darkness on Monday night, the Wildcats put together a score of 6-under par 282 before a 5-over par 293 final-round total as K-State earned a five-shot victory, taking the team title in its home event for fourth-straight season.

"I am really proud of our team and how they competed this week," said head coach Grant Robbins. "It wasn't always pretty, but they did a great job of staying in it. It was good to see them have to play under some pressure during the back 9 and come through with the win. We were really good for 27 holes as we had a great back 9 during the first round, and we played really well in round two to put us in great position. I thought we played a little tight in the final round, but that will get better with experience. Winning a college tournament is very difficult, and there are lots of positives we can carry with us as we get ready for the next event."

The Wildcats finished five-shots ahead of second-place South Dakota State as the Jackrabbits edged Southern Illinois by one shot for the runner-up spot. K-State finished first in the 14-team field with 178 total pars, while the Cats were second in par-3 (3.17), par-4 (4.09) and par-5 (4.83) scoring.

Kansas State was led by senior transfer Shea Harmeson, who tied for second place at 3-under par 213. A product of Traverse City, Michigan, Harmeson tallied a second-round total of 3-under par 69 – which included an eagle on the par-5 16th – before a score of 1-over par 73 in the final round. Harmeson, a transfer from Saginaw Valley State, produced the sixth first- or second-place finish during his collegiate career as he finished the event tied for first in the 75-man field in par-5 scoring (4.42).

"I am really proud of Shea today," Robbins said. "He actually tripled his first hole of the final round, and, as he always does, he bounced back and played very solid the rest of the way."

Senior Alex Lindstrom picked up the second top-10 finish of his career, tying for 10th place at 2-over par 218. His other top-10 showing at K-State came in his initial event, the 2023 Wildcat Invitational when he finished in second place. The Halmstad, Sweden, native went 1-over par 73 in the second round and 2-over par 74 in the final round.

A native of Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Fionn Dobbin tied for 12th place with a 54-hole total of 3-over par 219. After finishing a round of 2-over par 74 in the morning, the sophomore posted a final-round total of 1-under par 71 thanks to a 3-under par back 9. He began the final stretch of holes with an eagle on the par-5 10th before back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14.

Sophomore Tyler Strong put the finishing touches on a 1-under par 71 second round score on Tuesday morning thanks to consecutive birdies on Nos. 15 and 16. Following a score of 3-over par 75 in the final round, the Olathe, Kansas, native finished at 4-over par 220 to tie for 16th place, the fourth top-20 finish of his career.

Rounding out the Wildcats' scoring lineup, freshman Oliver Toyer produced a bogey-free score of 3-under par 69 in the second round, but he was unable to keep that momentum going in the final 18 holes as he went 7-over par 79. He tied for 29th place at 8-over par 224.

Freshman Ville Virkkala led four Wildcats that competed as individuals. In his first collegiate event, Virkkala picked up an eighth-place finish with a 54-hole score of even-par 216. He shaved two shots off his second-round score with a 1-over par 73 in the final round.

Senior JP Roller concluded his first event of the season with a final-round score of 1-under par 71 to move 15 spots up the leaderboard. The Jenks, Oklahoma, native tied for 23rd place at 6-over par 222.

Ben Stoller tied with Toyer for 29th place at 8-over par 224, which included a score of even-par 72 in the second round, one stroke shy of the senior's career low. A native of Owasso, Oklahoma, Stoller tied for first in the field in par-3 scoring (2.83).

Sophomore Erik Sabelström Holmberg finished in 75th place He was disqualified in the second round for signing an incorrect scorecard before posting a 5-over par 77 in the final round.

"There were a lot of great learning opportunities that we can take away from this tournament – especially in the final round – that will help us the rest of the season," Robbins said. "We have a quick turnaround, but I'm excited to see how we stack up against a really strong field in Utah."

K-State is back in action next week as the Wildcats travel to Park City, Utah, to compete in The Wohali, Monday and Tuesday, at Wohali GC.

– k-statesports.com –

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K-State Takes Title in Season-Opening Wildcat Invitational

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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