Monday, September 14
Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas State University
vs
Wildcat Invitational
Strong Finish Lands the Cats in Second to Open the Season
Sep 15, 2026 | Men's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State men's golf team was in contention for a victory over the final nine holes on Tuesday but was unable to catch St. Thomas as it finished second at the Wildcat Invitational held at the par-72 7,525-yard Colbert Hills Golf Course.
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Following a battle with the wind during the first 36 holes on Monday, the Wildcats bounced back in the final round with a score of 1-under par 287, and they finished with a 54-hole score of 12-over par 876. However, their effort was to no avail as they fell 10 strokes short of St. Thomas, which finished at 2-over par 866 thanks to a tournament best 5-under par final round.Â
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"I'm proud of how we competed today. We played very steady for the first 12 or so holes and got to the point where we were tied for the lead with six holes to go," said Kansas State head coach Grant Robbins. "Hats off to St Thomas. They really clutched up on the last few and just plain beat us."Â
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The final push on Tuesday gave St. Thomas a 10-stroke victory, and K-State finished five shots ahead of third-place South Dakota State. Despite not having a single eagle all tournament, the Cats still found a way to get into contention by limiting bogeys and finishing second in average scores for both par-3 (3.23) and par-4 (4.16) holes.
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The Cats were led by sophomore Oliver Toyer, who finished third by carding a 3-under par 213, just two strokes shy of the leader. Toyer finished Tuesday with a score of 3-under par 69, tying for the second-best round among all players in the field. Toyer, a native of Cambridgeshire, England, took advantage of the par-5 holes, averaging a score of 4.75.Â
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Sophomore Ville Virkkala picked up a fourth-place finish after a performance of 2-under par 214. The Espoo, Finland, product was one of just two players in the field to shoot even or under par in each round.
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"Oliver and Ville were rock solid for us all week and gave us a chance," said Robbins. "It was also a great learning experience for the new guys, and I know they will continue to get better."
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Junior Fionn Dobbin landed third amongst the Wildcat scoring lineup, shooting 6-over 222 with a strong finish in his final round at even-par 72. After a rocky start in round one, the Lisburn, Northern Ireland, native locked in during his last 36 holes, tallying a combined score of 1-over par.
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Freshman Oscar Stendahl started his collegiate career by tying for 43rd place at 11-over 227. Rounding out the Wildcats' scoring lineup was freshman Peyton Smith, who ended with a 54-hole score of 27-over par 243 to tie for 71st.
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Playing as an individual, sophomore transfer Octavio Laurent finished his Wildcat debut with a score of 3-over par 219 to tie for eighth place, the highest-scoring player competing solely as an individual. Junior Erik Sabelström Holmberg finished second among K-State individual scorers, finishing at 8-over par 224. A solid first 36 holes score of 4-over par for the Swedish native landed him in a tie for 26th.
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Joshua Thompson, a freshman out of Surrey, England, was another athlete who started his collegiate career with the Cats, finishing at 9-over 225 and ending in a tie for 32nd place. Sophomore Jules De Brauwere out of Saint Cloud, France rounded out the K-State individuals by finishing the tournament 36-over par 252 and in 81st place.
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South Dakota State's Jake Olson took home the individual crown at 5-under par 211, one shot ahead of St. Thomas' Tyler McNeive and two shots ahead of Toyer.
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K-State is back in action October 3-5, as the Wildcats travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to compete in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational at Blessings Golf Club.
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Following a battle with the wind during the first 36 holes on Monday, the Wildcats bounced back in the final round with a score of 1-under par 287, and they finished with a 54-hole score of 12-over par 876. However, their effort was to no avail as they fell 10 strokes short of St. Thomas, which finished at 2-over par 866 thanks to a tournament best 5-under par final round.Â
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"I'm proud of how we competed today. We played very steady for the first 12 or so holes and got to the point where we were tied for the lead with six holes to go," said Kansas State head coach Grant Robbins. "Hats off to St Thomas. They really clutched up on the last few and just plain beat us."Â
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The final push on Tuesday gave St. Thomas a 10-stroke victory, and K-State finished five shots ahead of third-place South Dakota State. Despite not having a single eagle all tournament, the Cats still found a way to get into contention by limiting bogeys and finishing second in average scores for both par-3 (3.23) and par-4 (4.16) holes.
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The Cats were led by sophomore Oliver Toyer, who finished third by carding a 3-under par 213, just two strokes shy of the leader. Toyer finished Tuesday with a score of 3-under par 69, tying for the second-best round among all players in the field. Toyer, a native of Cambridgeshire, England, took advantage of the par-5 holes, averaging a score of 4.75.Â
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Sophomore Ville Virkkala picked up a fourth-place finish after a performance of 2-under par 214. The Espoo, Finland, product was one of just two players in the field to shoot even or under par in each round.
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"Oliver and Ville were rock solid for us all week and gave us a chance," said Robbins. "It was also a great learning experience for the new guys, and I know they will continue to get better."
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Junior Fionn Dobbin landed third amongst the Wildcat scoring lineup, shooting 6-over 222 with a strong finish in his final round at even-par 72. After a rocky start in round one, the Lisburn, Northern Ireland, native locked in during his last 36 holes, tallying a combined score of 1-over par.
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Freshman Oscar Stendahl started his collegiate career by tying for 43rd place at 11-over 227. Rounding out the Wildcats' scoring lineup was freshman Peyton Smith, who ended with a 54-hole score of 27-over par 243 to tie for 71st.
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Playing as an individual, sophomore transfer Octavio Laurent finished his Wildcat debut with a score of 3-over par 219 to tie for eighth place, the highest-scoring player competing solely as an individual. Junior Erik Sabelström Holmberg finished second among K-State individual scorers, finishing at 8-over par 224. A solid first 36 holes score of 4-over par for the Swedish native landed him in a tie for 26th.
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Joshua Thompson, a freshman out of Surrey, England, was another athlete who started his collegiate career with the Cats, finishing at 9-over 225 and ending in a tie for 32nd place. Sophomore Jules De Brauwere out of Saint Cloud, France rounded out the K-State individuals by finishing the tournament 36-over par 252 and in 81st place.
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South Dakota State's Jake Olson took home the individual crown at 5-under par 211, one shot ahead of St. Thomas' Tyler McNeive and two shots ahead of Toyer.
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K-State is back in action October 3-5, as the Wildcats travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to compete in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational at Blessings Golf Club.
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– k-statesports.com –
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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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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.
Players Mentioned
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