Monday, September 14
Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas State University
vs
Wildcat Invitational
K-State Tees off the 2026-27 Season By Hosting Wildcat Invitational
Sep 12, 2026 | Men's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. – A brand new Kansas State men's golf team, highlighted by four incoming freshmen, opens the 2026-27 campaign as K-State hosts the Wildcat Invitational, Monday and Tuesday, at the par-72, 7,525-yard Colbert Hills.
This is the sixth-straight season that K-State is hosting a fall tournament at its home course, claiming each of the last four team titles and producing the individual champion on two occasions. K-State held on for a five-shot victory in last year's Wildcat Invitational, while it picked up a 16-shot victory over Jacksonville State two years ago and was five strokes better than the field in 2023.
"We are excited to get the season started and especially looking forward to hosting here at Colbert Hills," said head coach Grant Robbins, who enters his 13th season as K-State's head coach in 2026-27. "The course is in excellent shape and will provide a great test. There's obviously advantages but also a unique pressure hosting at home. We have a good plan, we just need to stay committed and execute one shot at a time."
Kansas State welcomes 14 other teams to Colbert Hills in Bradley, Creighton, Drake, Incarnate Word, Kansas City, Lindenwood, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Omaha, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois and St. Thomas.
After seeing four players graduate from last year's team, the Wildcats will add five new faces to the roster in 2026-27. All nine players will have their chance to play this weekend with five competing in the scoring lineup. The scoring lineup for the season opener features sophomore Ville Virkkala, freshman Oscar Stendahl, sophomore Oliver Toyer, freshman Peyton Smith and junior Fionn Dobbin. Sophomore transfer Octavio Laurent, freshman Joshua Thompson, junior Erik Sabelström Holmberg and sophomore Jules De Brauwere will be playing solely as individuals.
Virkkala, from the Land of a Thousand Lakes, Espoo, Finland, competed in all 11 events last season and was a member of the scoring lineup in 10 of those. His scoring average of 72.94 put him in third place on the team last season. Virkkala's consistency led his score to be counted in 87.93% of the team's scoring lineup.
Ranked 45th in the U18 European Amateur Golf Rankings, Stendahl, native of Myggenas, Sweden, enters his freshman campaign. Prior to K-State, Stendahl won the 2025 JMI Swedish Amateur Final thanks to shooting a 69 in each of the final two rounds.
Toyer, a native of Cambridgeshire, England, started his Kansas State golf career last season by appearing in eight events for the Cats, finishing in the top 30 in three events and top 20 in two others. His average score of 73.68 last season made him a constant contributor to the team scorecard.
Smith, a compatriot from Lee's Summit, Missouri, came to K-State as the top-ranked player in the state of Missouri by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Smith was also ranked No. 52 in the nation at the time of his signing thanks in part to winning three Missouri Class 4 state individual championships.
Dobbin, who hails from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, was a member of the scoring lineup for all 11 events last season, producing a 73.53 scoring average. His best finish of his career came last season where he tied for eighth, 5-under par 211, in the Michael A. Marino Classic.
De Brauwere, who hails from Saint Cloud, France, started his collegiate golf career at Odessa College, earning NJCAA Division I PING Honorable Mention All-America and All-District honors last season. He posted multiple top-10 finishes, including a victory in the Poss High Country Shootout at 19-under par 197.
Laurent, out of Bordeaux, France, joins the Cats coming off of a NCAA Division II Individual National Championship with a 54-hole score of 17-under par 199, winning the event by four strokes. He starts his K-State career after recording a 71.23 scoring average over 35 rounds during his freshman campaign, which includes four other top-five finishes.
Sabelström Holmberg enters his junior season after averaging 74.34 through his previous two seasons. A product of Stockholm, Sweden, Sabelström Holmberg has competed in 12 events over his collegiate career, his best of which was a second-place tie at the Colleton River Collegiate Individual during the 2024-25 season with a 36-hole score of 3-over par 147.
Thompson, a member of the English National Team from Surrey, England, ranked No. 39 in the U18 European Amateur Golf Rankings at the time of his signing.
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.
This is the sixth-straight season that K-State is hosting a fall tournament at its home course, claiming each of the last four team titles and producing the individual champion on two occasions. K-State held on for a five-shot victory in last year's Wildcat Invitational, while it picked up a 16-shot victory over Jacksonville State two years ago and was five strokes better than the field in 2023.
"We are excited to get the season started and especially looking forward to hosting here at Colbert Hills," said head coach Grant Robbins, who enters his 13th season as K-State's head coach in 2026-27. "The course is in excellent shape and will provide a great test. There's obviously advantages but also a unique pressure hosting at home. We have a good plan, we just need to stay committed and execute one shot at a time."
Kansas State welcomes 14 other teams to Colbert Hills in Bradley, Creighton, Drake, Incarnate Word, Kansas City, Lindenwood, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Omaha, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois and St. Thomas.
After seeing four players graduate from last year's team, the Wildcats will add five new faces to the roster in 2026-27. All nine players will have their chance to play this weekend with five competing in the scoring lineup. The scoring lineup for the season opener features sophomore Ville Virkkala, freshman Oscar Stendahl, sophomore Oliver Toyer, freshman Peyton Smith and junior Fionn Dobbin. Sophomore transfer Octavio Laurent, freshman Joshua Thompson, junior Erik Sabelström Holmberg and sophomore Jules De Brauwere will be playing solely as individuals.
Virkkala, from the Land of a Thousand Lakes, Espoo, Finland, competed in all 11 events last season and was a member of the scoring lineup in 10 of those. His scoring average of 72.94 put him in third place on the team last season. Virkkala's consistency led his score to be counted in 87.93% of the team's scoring lineup.
Ranked 45th in the U18 European Amateur Golf Rankings, Stendahl, native of Myggenas, Sweden, enters his freshman campaign. Prior to K-State, Stendahl won the 2025 JMI Swedish Amateur Final thanks to shooting a 69 in each of the final two rounds.
Toyer, a native of Cambridgeshire, England, started his Kansas State golf career last season by appearing in eight events for the Cats, finishing in the top 30 in three events and top 20 in two others. His average score of 73.68 last season made him a constant contributor to the team scorecard.
Smith, a compatriot from Lee's Summit, Missouri, came to K-State as the top-ranked player in the state of Missouri by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Smith was also ranked No. 52 in the nation at the time of his signing thanks in part to winning three Missouri Class 4 state individual championships.
Dobbin, who hails from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, was a member of the scoring lineup for all 11 events last season, producing a 73.53 scoring average. His best finish of his career came last season where he tied for eighth, 5-under par 211, in the Michael A. Marino Classic.
De Brauwere, who hails from Saint Cloud, France, started his collegiate golf career at Odessa College, earning NJCAA Division I PING Honorable Mention All-America and All-District honors last season. He posted multiple top-10 finishes, including a victory in the Poss High Country Shootout at 19-under par 197.
Laurent, out of Bordeaux, France, joins the Cats coming off of a NCAA Division II Individual National Championship with a 54-hole score of 17-under par 199, winning the event by four strokes. He starts his K-State career after recording a 71.23 scoring average over 35 rounds during his freshman campaign, which includes four other top-five finishes.
Sabelström Holmberg enters his junior season after averaging 74.34 through his previous two seasons. A product of Stockholm, Sweden, Sabelström Holmberg has competed in 12 events over his collegiate career, his best of which was a second-place tie at the Colleton River Collegiate Individual during the 2024-25 season with a 36-hole score of 3-over par 147.
Thompson, a member of the English National Team from Surrey, England, ranked No. 39 in the U18 European Amateur Golf Rankings at the time of his signing.
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 Athletics, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the athletics department's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Athletics, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the athletics department's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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