The Kansas State men’s golf team took second place at the Tiger Invitational on Monday in Columbia, Missouri.
Behind junior Jeremy Gandon, the Wildcats were in second place going into the final day on Monday. Weather was a major factor in the tournament, as the start was delayed on Monday until 11 a.m., and the second round had to be completed on the third day, as the round was postponed due to darkness.
On day one, Gandon sat in a tie for second place at 5-under par; his highlight was a 4-under par 68 in round one, along with achieving seven birdies. He ended the tournament tying for ninth with fellow Wildcat junior Roland Massimino, both leading K-State.
The Wildcats were at 9-under par, just three shots behind the University of Missouri after the first day. They shot 281 as a team in round one, which is the lowest round of the season.
The Wildcats had three individuals placed in the top seven on day one: sophomore Jacob Eklund and Massimino tied for seventh place at 3-under par. Eklund had the best first-round score at 5-under par 67. Massimino moved himself up seven spots in the second round before the round was stopped.
Eklund dropped down to tie at 21st place at the end of the tournament.
Placing in the top 20 was junior JC Campbell, ending the tournament in 14th place.
As for the rest of the Wildcats, sophomore Ben Hernandez tied for 28th, freshman Kyle Vance tied for 77th and redshirt freshman Connor Chesky tied for 94th in the tournament.
Head coach Grant Robbins was pleased with his team’s performance.
“I am really proud of the guys and the way they played this week,” Robbins said to K-State Sports. “We had our chances as we got within four of the lead at one point, but we were not able to make enough putts on the back nine. … It is definitely something we can build on going forward.”
The Wildcats ended the second round with a score of 286 and, in the final round, 283. They ended the tournament with a total score of 850. The team held on to second place in the standings, but Missouri outshot K-State in all three rounds, ending with a total score of 839.
The Wildcats will now head to Iowa City, Iowa, to participate in the Hawkeye Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
