The Kansas State men’s golf team secured its fourth top-three finish of the season by placing second in the Colleton River Collegiate after Monday’s final round at the par-72, 7,403-yard Dye Course of Colleton River Club.
The Wildcats, who went 9-over par 297 during the final round on a difficult course, finished with a 54-hole score of 10-over par 874 (295-282-297), three shots ahead of a tie for third place with Chattanooga and No. 41 Wake Forest. K-State had a pair of top-10 finishers in seniors Cooper Schultz and Kobe Valociek, while another senior, Nicklaus Mason, finished in the top 15.
“Overall it was a good week for us,” said head coach Grant Robbins, whose team was within contention on the back 9 but couldn’t take home the victory, in a written statement. “There were times where we played some tremendous golf and times when we were not able to capitalize on some of our opportunities. I am disappointed in how we finished, but we are a team that has to learn how to win. Sometimes to be able to get over that hump, you have to go through some disappointments. I really love how this group competes. We just have to keep putting ourselves in this position, and I know the experience we had this week will help us down the road.”
A native of Andover, Kansas, Schultz turned in a final-round score of 2-over par 74 to remain in a tie for sixth place at 1-over par 217 (75-68-74), and he tied for third among the 80-man field with 13 total birdies. It was the 11th top-10 finish of his career, which is tied for ninth in program history.
Valociek, a transfer from Virginia Tech, finished one shot back and in a tie for eighth place following a 54-hole score of 2-over par 218 (74-69-75). The Peoria, Arizona, product, who went 3-over par 75 on Monday, recorded his second-straight top-10 finish and fourth of the season, which is a new career high.
After a final-round score of even-par 72, Mason rose two spots up the leaderboard to finish in 13th place at 3-over par 219 (70-77-72). Ranked 34th in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings, the Shawnee, Kansas, native has finished in the top 15 in six of his seven stroke-play events this season.
Senior Ian McCrary carded a 4-over par 76 on Monday as he finished in a tie for 22nd place at 6-over par 222 (76-70-76). Freshman Fionn Dobbin tied for 70th place at 18-over par 234 (83-75-76).
Host school Michigan State was the only team to finish under par, winning the event at 1-under par 863. The Spartans also had the top individual in Lorenzo Pinili, who earned a two-shot victory at 5-under par 211.
Kansas State will have over a month’s worth of practice as the Wildcats’ next action comes April 7-8 in the Tiger Intercollegiate in Columbia, Missouri.
