Cats Finish Sixth at Big 12 Match Play
HOCKLEY, Texas (Kansas State Athletics) – The 17th-ranked Kansas State men’s golf team concluded its fall season and the Big 12 Match Play Tournament in sixth place following a win over Iowa State and a draw with Kansas in the championship round on Wednesday at the par-71, 7,007-yard Club at Houston Oaks.
“Overall it was a good week,” said Robbins. “I’m really proud of the grit the guys showed. It’s definitely something to build on. We showed we can play with anyone in the country, but there’s still a ton of room for improvement. We just have to continue to get better.”
The final day began on a high note as the Wildcats fought to a 3-2-1 victory over No. 9 seed Iowa State in the last match of pool play.
Laurenz Schiergen handled his match 4&3, while Cooper Schultz got the victory 3&2. Will Hopkins was victorious 2&1.
Ben Stoller, who made his debut in the lineup against the Cyclones, earned a draw. Nicklaus Mason fell 4&3 and Luke O’Neill lost a tight match, 1Up.
The victory tied K-State for second on the Pool A leaderboard with seven points, but a head-to-head tiebreaker pushed TCU into the third place match. That would set up the Wildcats with a fifth place match against in-state rival Kansas.
The sunflower showdown ended in a 3-3-0 draw with individual wins from O’Neill and the Kansas natives, Schultz and Mason.
It was the fourth straight victory of the tournament for Schultz, who won his match against the Jayhawks in dominant fashion, 5&4.
O’Neill held onto his lead with ties on three straight holes to win 1 Up, while Mason got the win 2&1.
Despite tying in the fifth place match, the Jayhawks won the tiebreaker due to hole differential, moving K-State to sixth place.
“I’m a little disappointed in the outcome this afternoon, but in this format when you have a couple of guys struggling it really puts you in a hole,” said Robbins. “Against TCU, Iowa State and Kansas we had guys get way down early and it puts a ton of pressure on the other matches.”
Kansas State, which had its best fall season in school history with three team titles, now enters a brief offseason before the spring season gets started February 13-14 at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. The spring schedule includes six regular season events before the Big 12 Championship commences April 24-26.
